The One In This Life
by Blade Redwind
Summary: Hinata has a past she's running from and yet trying to grow from as well. Gaara seems to hate everyone and everything. And yet, takes to this shy girl with a protective hand. Mock 'Raise Your Voice' which stared Hilary Duff
1. Chapter 1

**..Chapter One..**

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_Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness. **Maya Angelou, Gather Together in My Name**_

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Cold orbs of lavender blue, almost white, stared up at the large looming building before her. The sound of a bus driving away drifted behind her. It was... so huge... She could feel the size of it suffocating her; trapping her. The night was so dark, so shady... it made everything seem that much scarier.

She felt a shiver run up her spine as she heard something crash in the distance and sirens start up. She placed her hands over head and cried out softly. She resisted the urge to cry and run all the way back to the bus station. Her breathing was heavy for a long while. And her hands were atop her head even longer.

As she felt the night, the sounds, dim down she removed her hands and looked at the daunting building once more. She would have to gather her courage. She had to. If not for herself, than for his memory alone.

She took a deep breath and grabbed her large black duffel bag. It was slung over one shoulder as she walked the long path up to the building. Her booted feet clicked loudly in the large, silent city beyond. In the distance she could still heard sirens. She almost thought she heard gun shots, but pushed it down. She had to.

She reached up tried to turn the handle to open the door.

She gasped.

NO!

She just couldn't be locked out. She couldn't be! Oh god, if she had to spend all night out here she would die. And if she had to go to hotel... if she made it safely there, she would just... oh god. She might as well just go back to the bus station and go home!

She felt tears pricking her eyes as she looked in the dark tiled building. Wasn't anyone up? She knew she'd gotten here late... but still... She banged on the door a few times, hoping against hope someone had heard her; or would hear her.

Her face lit up with hope as a young man passed the door. She was caught in a daze for a moment as she hit the glass with her fist harder. It took him a moment but he turned to look at her, his back still to the door.

Hinata felt her heart catch as she utterly stopped hitting the glass. Those eyes... they were so cold. She brought her hand to her mouth as she stared. What kind of person had... no eyebrows? Did he dye his hair?

She was struck by the image of him... that beautiful face free from marks or facial hair. It was sharp and unfeeling. His lips were barely noticeable but soft. His lovely eyes lined with black pencil makeup. She could barely make out soft red lashes as he blinked caressing his high cheeks. And above his left eye, high on his forehead under the mess of flaming hair, appeared a kanji mark of some kind. She narrowed her eyes on it, trying to make it out. Which, was impossible, she didn't know Japanese.

She blinked as he came to the door and just sorta stared at her through the glass; like an insect or animal on display. It was then and only then she recalled why she'd tried to get his attention in the first place.

"C-could you p-please let me i-in?" she wanted to berate herself right then. She hated her stuttering almost as much as she hated her lack of confidence.

He seemed to regard her for a while, his eyes cold. When he spoke through the glass, it was equally cold, heated and unfeeling. "You missed final call. Go home or come back tomorrow."

She gaped at him, mouth as wide as her eyes. Was he serious?! "Y-you... y-you just c-can't l-leave me out h-here! My b-bus was l-late!"

Apparently he could. "You're problem." He stared to turn to go.

"Wait!" She desperately reached into her bag, trying to find her papers. "I have proof! I emailed the director at the l-last s-stop!" When she did she pressed the sheet into the glass to show him. "I-I'm j-just later than I t-thought."

He stopped, his hands in his pockets as he regarded her with a single narrowed eye over his shoulder.

"Please..." she begged. It was late and the city was very dangerous. He couldn't be so cruel as to leave her there could he? She hoped not.

He turned and leaned forward to gaze at the copy of the email. His cold eyes scanned the lines. After a moment he stood up and reached for the handle.

Yes!

He opened the door and stepped back, allowing her in.

"Thank you!" She said with brilliance on her face.

He said nothing and closed the door. "Based on the email, I assume he sent you all the information?"

She nodded. "I just need a key."

He regarded her for another moment before beginning to walk away. He didn't even ask her to follow, assuming she would anyway.

She watched his retreating back with some apprehension. She felt a nervous wave run through her. He was going to leave her in the hall? She pursed her lips for a moment and then walked on after him. They rounded a hall and he stepped into a dark office. She stayed outside the door and waited, shifting nervously. She bit her lower lip again and then blinked and stepped back as she found a key in her face. Her face turned into a wash of fear for a moment.

"Here." He muttered.

She took the key slowly. "Thank you," she whispered.

He grunted in response. He turned and walked down the hall again.

She felt fear rushing through her again. She didn't hate being alone... but this place was so new! "Wait!" She was crying again.

The boy with red hair stopped but did not turn around. "What?"

"Could..." Nervousness and few ran through her again. "C-could you t-take me t-to my room?"

He stood there for a while, a good five feet away from her in the dimness of the checkered hallway as he considered. Hinata was once more swept with the feeling of just how lovely he really was. His shoulders and arms were toned. His waist was thin. You could tell by the way the black tank top stuck to his pale skin. It was tucked into a pair of tight black jeans that hung low on his hips. The entire outfit was so simple in it's design, so classic.

And yet, he almost seemed so... hellish. Like something more ravenous was hidden beneath his cool exterior. Tattoos lined his arms. Most of them tribal and jagged. The colors were an array of black and red. All varying shades.

"Alright."

She blinked. "What?"

He waved his hand with his back to her, becoming she come. "What's your room number?"

She blinked again but jogged up beside him. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the thin slip of paper. She scanned it as they walked. "Um... G-13." That had to be some sort of bat omen. 13? Lovely.

The red head next to her seemed to stiffen a moment. But, just as soon as it came it was gone.

She wanted to ask him what was wrong... but let it go as they trudged up the stairs.

The building was quiet and grand. It looked like some sort of theater or boarding school from back in the 1800's. Everything about the place reeked Regency Era. The wallpaper had been stripped at some point though; revealing the dark cherry wood beneath the surface. She noticed they just kept going up and up. She wanted to ask about an elevator, but, was too afraid her companion would snap at her or give her another glare.

When they reached the end of the stairs she was glad there were no more. The bag on her shoulder was slowly becoming heavier. She followed him as he led her down the long hallway. It was then they reached another set of stairs. She was about to fall over in defeat when she noticed they only went up about five feet.

She begrudgingly followed. The key in her hand was held forward, but, she gaped as he got his own out of his pocket and opened the door. HUH?! How did he have a key to her room? This did not bode well at all.

She stared at him as he held the door open for her. She supposed her mouth was hanging open in stupid, scared shock because he said...

"Are you coming or not?"

She reached for her wits and shook her head. Before she had a chance the change her mind or further wonder as to why he had a key to her room she ran up the stairs and inside. It was then she dropped her bag. After which, she jumped as he shut the door.

As she gripped her hands to her chest he walked by her. Wait... wasn't he leaving? He didn't seem to like her much so why would he stay?

"Bathroom is that way," he pointed to a door to between to others in against the right wall. "Your room is the one on the right. Mine is the one on the left."

Her eyes went wide. His room? _His_ room?!

But he was still explaining his ever monotone. "Across the way is the living room and this is the kitchen."

She blinked at him, fear in her eyes. "We're... r-rooming t-together?" She was going to die right there.

For whatever reason he seemed to notice this. His eyes, she could have sworn, softened a little. "Sometimes the amount of one gender approved is too high and they have to room them them together with another." Cold aqua hues narrowed again. "I assume that's why they gave me me this room." He seemed to scowl slightly. "Although, I was hoping I had to myself."

She felt her form shaking slightly. "This r-room?"

He looked at her again, as though he'd forgotten she was there. "It's the biggest room in the building." He then walked away, leaving her there to fend for herself.

"Um..." she tightly held her hands to her chest as she stared at him. She looked away instantly as he caught her gaze from the island in the kitchen. She blushed. "Um... what's y-your.. n-name..?" Her voice was quiet. It didn't seem to bother him and unlike many others in her small town, he made no mention of it. She found it slightly comforting despite his cold shoulder and heated but demanding manner.

"Gaara," he said after a while.

"Oh..." She blushed again but refused to meet his gaze.

He arched a brow at her from his position, leaning back into the counter. "You are?"

He wanted to know who she was? She hadn't expected that.

As if reading her mind he responded. "If I'm going to room with you for the next few months I might as well know your name."

She nodded, her eyes still downcast. "Hinata..." was her soft whisper.

He nodded and pushed his way off the counter. He said nothing more as he headed towards the living room. She watched as he reached for the remote and turned on, what she assumed was, the TV. She bit her lower lip, wanting to follow. Wasn't he going to bed? It was late. At least midnight, right?

She glanced down at her bag on the floor one more time before grabbing all her courage and moved into the living room. She looked at both of the chairs. For some reason they were full of books. Book on... music? It made sense.. this was a school that catered to such talents.

She looked down at him on the small sofa. He didn't look at her. She felt something tugging at her heart.

"What?" He asked, never taking his eyes off the program.

She jumped a little and brought her hand up to her face, touching her lips. She hated being so bashful. "Um..."

He looked up at her, eyes once more narrowed. His lips parted slightly as he seemed to observe her. He was waiting for an answer. It amazed Hinata. He was actually waiting for her. No one ever waited for her. They just... kept asking her to go on or speak up. And here he sat... _patiently_ waiting for her to come up with a response.

She couldn't just keep him sitting there, could she? "Um... do you... m-mind i-if I s-sit with y-you?"

He continued to stare at her. She thought she something flicker in those eyes. As thought he was just as unsure as her. How could he be? No, it must be her imagination.

"Sit." He scooted over and made space for her.

She nodded quietly and sat down, making sure to keep space between them both. She was tensed up even as she sat back into the plushness of the couch and watched the television. There was a commercial on and she had no idea what he was watching. She jumped slightly as he adjusted in his seat.

He looked over at her from the corner of his eyes.

She didn't dare look up at him. His bare body heat was too much. It felt like it was seeping through her clothes, her jeans as his thigh barely brushed her own. Her one hand was in her lap, the other near her face as she tried to keep the shy blush down. She feared moving further back and relaxing because ever since he'd sat down his arm was draped over the back of the couch.

What was it about new room mate that made her... so on edge? It couldn't be him, although he was ungodly intimidating. Everyone made her jumpy. Ever since... She bit her lower lip once more. She would not cry. He didn't want her to.

She looked up as the program on TV blared something about Trans-Siberian Orchestra being in town in a few weeks. It seemed the man next to her was forgotten as her cold lavender depths stayed transfixed on the music. It was powerful, it was electric and it was classical all at once. She'd never heard a rock... orchestra before. She wasn't exactly sure how she felt about it but it wasn't terrible.

"You like it?"

She jumped again, almost forgetting who was next to her. As the music played on in the background she looked over at him. He still had that same expression of... nothing... and yet there was something in his eyes. He was waiting again, once more patiently waiting for her to come up with an answer. She edged a slight smile. "I've never heard them before."

Wait?

Was that her?

Did she actually manage a whole five words without stuttering? She hid her enthusiasm. Not well enough because he seemed to notice and his lips twitched at her slightly. He said nothing about though; unusually kind despite his icy demeanor.

"They generally only play Christmas music."

"They're very good." Now way! Another one! Inner Hinata was doing a cancan.

He smirked this time.

She decided to try an question this time. Let's see how long her track record held out. "Don't you need to sleep?"

"Don't you?"

She pursed her lips and looked down at her hands. "It's a new place." As if it were answer enough. Hinata had never adjusted to new places quickly. A new room and new city. New people. All of it had her on edge and she hated it. She wouldn't be able to sleep much for a few days.

He watched the TV, not seeming bothered by her shy behavior. He hadn't replied to her question and this unnerved her a bit. She almost wanted to pout. She'd felt like she was finally getting somewhere with her new room mate and her he clamped up again. Why did it bother her so much? She'd only just met him, what... twenty minutes ago?

"I have a hard time sleeping."

She looked up at him immediately, almost gasping as he caught her gaze and held it. It was so bold, so raw... she almost thought she saw an unbridled passion beneath those aqua hues; as though he was barely containing some kind of beast. It excited and scared her at the same time. She tensed up as she watched him lean in to her. What was he doing?! She blushed profusely. "What are you doing?" She managed to whisper.

He blinked for a moment, stared at her and then shook his head. As if he himself was pulled from some sort of spell she had on him. "Your eyes," he murmured.

"My... eyes?" She noted he still hadn't backed up. She tensed up even more as she watched his hand lift... as though it were going to touch her face. Part of her wanted him to... and part of her was deathly afraid.

He must have noticed because as soon as she started shaking, he dropped his hand, closed his eyes and moved away from her. "They're... different."

She let out a slow breath she hadn't even known she was holding in. All she could do was nod. Her heart rate was going a mile a minute.

"You should go to bed." He was saying, his eyes still on her. "Classes start early."

He wanted her to leave? Despite his earlier... advance... she was loath to go. For whatever reason the... man before her, seeming to barely contain some hidden rage, kept her from stuttering. That was a miracle in itself.

"I don't want to..." she was whispering, her eyes down cast. It was then she did feel a hand on her face, her chin, tilting her up to look at him. Once more, his eyes were on her and seemed just on the verge of something that shook Hinata to her core.

He wanted to say something... really, he did. But, all he could manage was... "Lean on me then, if you're too stubborn to go."

Before she could argue, he was pulling her against him and forcing her head onto his shoulder. She felt a shudder run through her and gasped as the heat of him ran down her body. He was warm, soft and notably strong holding her there. She didn't have the heart to argue anymore, not with that feeling riding through her. Too scared to speak, she allowed herself to drift into sleep and shut her eyes.

...

_This time I wonder what it feels like_

_To find the one in this life_

_The one we all dream of_

_But dreams just aren't enough_

_So I´ll be waiting for the real thing._

_I'll know it by the feeling._

_The moment when we´re meeting_

_Will play out like a scene straight off the silver screen_

_So Ill be holdin' my breath_

_Right up to the end_

_Until that moment when_

_I find the one that I'll spend forever with..._

_..._

_ooooooooooooooooooo_

**AN :** Ok, so I _know_ I have two other stories going on right now... but I just couldn't _not_ do this. I was calling to me. Really it was. I read another fiction, called Suna's Body Art, I think... and yeah, it was just so cute. I couldn't help wanting to make another music fic based on Gaara/Hinata. This time this one will be like a mock _Raise Your Voice_. Hope you like. And yeah, I dunno if I'll update it as quickly as the other two. Just depends on how I handle the others.

We'll seeeeeee.

**--Blade**


	2. Chapter 2

**..Chapter Two..**

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Gaara stared down at the woman with her head resting on his thigh. Her hair was soft; a glorious shade of velvet ebony dancing under the fresh morning sun. The light came in through the sliding door on his right just through the curtains. She was pale and he noted, not for the first time, just how soft her skin was.

Her eyes. Those were the most beguiling thing about her. They enchanted him. The colour was barely noticeable; a light colour of lavender. It seemed like you could see the whole world moving in those eyes.

He reached down, the back of his knuckles grazing her cheek as she slept. He'd not been too sure of her when she first caught his gaze; banging on that door to the point of rattling the whole building. If anything, he found it annoying. He smirked slightly, thinking back it now.

She stuttered. He hadn't known what to say about it, if anything. For the right person though, Gaara was a patient man. He deduced that waiting for her to find the words would be far better than rushing her or helping her. He didn't tolerate a lot of things in people; most often stupidity or lack of respect. Stuttering was something else entirely and it was most likely not even Hinata's fault.

Turns out... waiting for someone to find their voice helps them much more than giving it to them. And in the fraction of a few minutes she stopped stuttering around him.

He still wasn't sure how he felt about the ebony haired woman sleeping in his lap. He knew he had her for a room mate over the next few months that school was in.

Gaara did not like people. They were noisy, rude, arrogant and rarely considered anyone but themselves. He dealt with them on a basic level or when forced to; nothing more beyond that. He hated talking too much as well. Talking opened you up to things you did not wish to be open to. He much preferred the heat of his music over a voice trying to start a conversation. Music told you things without using words; and only when you listened carefully.

However, he supposed if he had to have a room mate, Hinata was better than anything he could have come up with. She was shy, withdrawn and appeared to talk even less than he did. Imagine that conundrum. Was that the right word? More like irony. Irony seemed to fit better.

Yes, he managed to find someone who seemed to speak even less than he did. He was definitely more... intimidating than her. He'd long gotten use to that and preferred it. It kept people at a distance and gave him more time to work on his craft. The only ones who were never really bothered by his shell were his brother and sister; Temari and Kankurou.

He looked down at the body on his thigh one more time. He was loath to move; however, he knew his sister would be coming in any moment. And he did not need to explain why the young beauty was laying in his lap. He'd never heard the end of it. She'd be discrete; but, with his track record he knew everyone would find out. He was already preparing himself for her to hate him once she met the other students.

The Devil.

That's what they called him. Of course it varied. Every now and then someone added 'red' the middle because of his hair.

With one more internal sigh he shifted slowly and dislodged the girl from his lap. Standing up, without disturbing her, he laid her to rest on the soft cushion he'd previously been sitting on. He gave her one more longing look and turned to go into the kitchen; only to stop dead in his tracks.

"Morning, little brother," Temari said with a slight smirk.

Perfect.

Had she seen him? He waited to see if she let him know. She was smirking at him knowingly. That was no good judge though. Temari always had the look of a cat plotting the death of her next mouse victim. He didn't respond to her; slowly moving towards the fridge with all the confidence and stride of a demon on earth. He looked like one, was called one; so why not? He reached for the door and peered in.

Temari pouted. "You could at least say something." She placed a paper bag on the island. Temari had a kind face. It was rounded and not nearly as angular as her younger brother's. Her hair was just as different; a dirty blond pulled into four spiked pony tails. She had bangs that split to either side of her face and barely brushed her eyebrows. Her eyes were the most darkening thing about her; the colour of deep forest green. They almost looked black unless you dared to spy closer.

Her attire was tom boyish today. It always was. The strength of such a powerful woman radiated in not only her form but in her appearance. It came from being the oldest girl to two brothers and daughter to an only parent--a man. A girl had to scrape just to be heard in such a testosterone induced environment.

Today she had on a pair dark blue jeans that overlapped a set of black combat boots. The knees were ripped and faded only slightly. Her top was a bit more feminine; a soft shade of pale blue. It had belled sleeves and a low neckline.

Gaara reached for a bottle of water and closed the door; once more ignoring his sister. The only sign of acknowledgement he showed her was a slight shrug.

She rolled her eyes. "Very well. I brought you some breakfast though." She dug into the bag and pulled out a couple wrapped sandwiches. "There from that little shop you like so much." She held one out to him with a grin. "Egg and sausage."

He took the offered food without a word and moved to lean against the counter. The wrapper was pulled off and he took a bite. She did this sometimes; brought him food. It wasn't that he didn't eat properly... he just forgot to sometimes. Either that, or it became too much of a hassle. If you didn't have to make it you had to go out and buy it. Which meant, one way or another you were dealing with people.

Staying in and making it was much preferred... but you still had to take time out to make it.

"You get this place to yourself?" She was asking as she looked about.

He shook his head and took another bite.

She arched a brow and gazed near the door; bag set there still full of what one would assume were clothes. She looked back at her brother. "Where is she?" Everyone knew about this room. If Gaara was here it was guaranteed his room mate was a woman,

He jabbed a finger behind him towards the living room.

Temari walked around the island and the counter peninsula separating the kitchen from the living room. She looked down at the girl sleeping peacefully on the couch and touched two fingers to her lips. Her eyes narrowed slightly... why was she sleeping here and not in her room? And for that matter why were her clothes not put away? Had she even been in her room yet?

Temari backed out of the room and glanced at her brother as she moved into the kitchen towards the fridge. It was she this time who grabbed a water bottle. She watched him curiously after taking a refreshing sip. "You stay up with her all night?" Both siblings knew he had trouble sleeping.

His eyes narrowed as he finished off his sandwich and tossed aside the wrapped. He licked the inside of his mouth. He took a quick drink to wash it all down. Was he stalling? It's not like he had to answer her. He debated that.

"Well?"

Apparently she wasn't leaving this one alone. "She came in late last night." He shrugged. "I was up and she couldn't sleep. She fell asleep on the couch around one."

She arched a brow. "Who let her in? Don't we lock the doors at ten?"

"I did."

Wow, more than five words from him? This had to be a record. She didn't let it show. Temari wondered if something was going on here... but decided not to think too hard it or she would jump to impracticable conclusions.

"Hello?" A soft voice as heard in the direction of Hinata.

It was then Temari noted Gaara's demeanour instantly changed. She watched as he stood up and moved to look at the girl just waking up on the other side of the counter. His looked less... stiff and more pronounced in his body language. As though he were ready to spring into action should someone call for him.

Hinata sat up and blinked sleep from her eyes. She looked around the room and yawned as she stretched. Her body was a little sore from sleeping in the cramped piece of furniture; but, aside from that she felt incredibly well rested. She pursed her lower lip. "Gaara?" She felt eyes on her and looked over and up. He was staring at her on the other side of the counter. She blushed slightly and smiled shyly at him.

"Morning," he murmured softly.

Temari had to stop herself from falling over in shock.

Hinata must have heard this because she stood up and looked to the other side of the red head. "H-hello?"

Just moments ago her brother hardly said two words to her; what words she did get out of him she had to practically... force out. And here he was, with no prompting at all, saying 'morning' to this girl he probably only knew less that twenty-four hours. Was she in a twilight zone? Was this a dream?

Hinata walked quietly into the kitchen demure as ever. Gaara watched her carefully, his eyes never leaving her stiff and unsure body movements. To some it might look like he was stalking his prey.

Hinata looked at the woman with blond hair. She smiled slightly.

Temari, despite her earlier shock, beamed at the girl. "Good morning. I'm Temari, Gaara's older sister. You are?"

"H-hinata," she whispered.

Temari arched a brow, one hand on her hip. "Are you alight?" When she only nodded Temari didn't know what to make of her. She acted like a shy little bird caught in a trap; like someone was going to hit her. Had someone hit her before? A parent or boyfriend?

Hinata shuffled her feet together, staring down. She nodded.

Putting on her best smile Temari offered her some food. "Are you hungry? I have a couple breakfast sandwiches in here. They're from my brother's favourite shop."

Hinata smiled and nodded again. She stepped forward and took the hot goody that was held out to her. "D-do you h-have anything to d-drink?"

Temari opened her mouth to respond but it was her brother who interrupted her; her quiet, nearly mute-by-choice, brother.

"I've got it," he muttered.

Faster than she'd ever seen him move, he grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and popped the top. He held it out to Hinata.

The ebony haired girl didn't seem to notice it though. She didn't know him like Temari.

Hinata smiled brightly and reached out, her eyes never leaving his. "Thank you, Gaara," she whispered kindly. She felt a shock run up her arm, a warmth, as she brushed her fingers against his and took the bottle. She still wasn't breaking contact. Not for a minute.

His lips twitched slightly. Not a full smile... but a bit. "You're welcome." He replied softly.

Temari felt like she was watching a movie... or a play... or maybe even seeing something she shouldn't. Should she still be here? It was hard to imagine her brother ever treating anyone like this. Ever. While he was never outwardly rude to a lot of people... ok, he was... but that was just Gaara being blunt and to the point. He never went out of his way to help anyone. He wasn't a bad person. Not by a long shot. He just... didn't like people. He never really gave them the chance to prove if they were a good person or not. And people rarely gave him half a chance either. Many of them talked ill about the boy in the school.

It was only natural. He was always giving them the cold shoulder because he preferred his privacy. In turn, they assumed he was being a snob, jerk or some type of satanic evil bastard who held blood rituals in his room. Everyone who'd ever shared a room with him avoided him like the plague or stayed with someone else the entirety of the year in another room.

Not Hinata.

Temari was not a nosy person; not by a long shot; and never with her brother. While she was concerned with him all the time and checked on him frequently... she never dug into his personal life. He would hate her for it.

Which is why she was trying so hard not to wonder if there was something more going on here between these two. She pursed her lips. Even if there was... it had to be too soon to tell.

"Hinata?"

Hinata blinked out of her spell, breaking her eyes from Gaara's. "Y-yes?"

She smiled. "Tonight the top floor, this one, is holding a party. It goes on every year. It's one of the few things the school turns a blind eye to because it's such a tradition. Would you like to go?"

A party? Hinata's eyes widened. She wasn't ready for a party. She began to imagine all those people.. music... loud voices and... oh god. She felt like a deer with her eyes caught in a stream of headlights; endless ones that just... bore on her.

"Hinata?"

Gaara's voice pulled her from her fears. That soft, deep and calming voice grabbed at her senses and immediately made her feel at ease. She looked at him, asking before she thought about it. "Are you going?"

Temari laughed. "Gaara? Socialize? Never ha--."

"If you want me to." He replied. _If you need me there._

Huh...? Ok, it was odd enough that he spoke to her without any prompting. It was odder still that he jumped to get her a drink. But, this was just... insane! Part of her was secretly happy the ebony haired girl was... bringing out a side of her brother she had never seen before. Another part was confused as to what to make of it all. If she didn't know any better... she'd of said he was in love.

...

Nah... Could he be? No. Gaara was too serious for that. Still... it was something she would file away for later; especially if this went any further than heated glances and long moments of staring at one another.

Hinata blushed. "I do... that is, if you don't mind."

He nodded, a smirk on his lips.

"We need to get ready, guys. First class starts in about... another hour." Temari looked at her watch. She glanced up at Hinata. "We've got time to get your things put away in your room and get you dressed to go if we don't waste anymore time. You can dress and I'll help put your clothes away."

She wanted to help her? The woman before her looked like someone she'd rather not meet on a bad day... but on her good side... well, she deduced she was a grand friend indeed." "T-thank you," she relied softly.

"No problem." Temari walked towards the door and grabbed her bag. Hinata trailed after her as she opened the door and shut it behind them.

Hinata watched with helpless eyes as the woman before her began to pull clothes out. She watched as Temari's face went through a series of odd looks as she eyed her wardrobe. Was there something wrong?

"Is this all the clothing you brought with you?" She asked as she set them into folded stacks on the bed.

"Y-yes... is s-something wrong with i-it?"

"Well," Temari paused her search through the bag and sighed, "They aren't bad... I suppose that's the problem. Who picked these out?"

Hinata blushed and looked down at her feet. "My father... he's v-very busy with the r-restaurant."

Temari chuckled, making her feel more at ease. "It's alright. Don't worry. Today after class me, you and few of the girls will go out on a shopping trip. We'll find you something nice for the party... and for the rest of the school year."

Her eyes went wide. Not that she would object to the help... she knew her wardrobe needed help... but... "I d-don't have the m-money... " she blushed, profusely embarrassed.

Temari just grinned. "Who said anything about you buying?"

She just stared at her.

"This is my idea. It's only fair I foot the bill." Her hand was placed on Hinata's shoulder.

Hinata wasn't sure if she wanted cry, laugh or do both. No one had ever... been so kind to her...

"Besides," she smiled knowingly, "you should look nice for my brother tonight. He's never been on a date before."

Her eyes got wider if that was possible, her mouth widened further and she fought for words. "D-d-d-d-date?" She felt her world begin to spin. She felt her stomach lurch... and then everything went black. The last thing she heard was Temari calling her name, the door opening wildly and Gaara shouting angrily at his sister.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

**AN:** x,X Lately I've been getting reviews in my other stories about grammar and spelling. I'll be the first to tell you I do my best, but, I'm not perfect. If you notice any mistakes, however small, which... are REPEATING... please point them out to me. Make sure to add why it's wrong. A link to the grammar rule online somewhere would be nice too.

I don't have a beta reader. I'd rather get better at editing my own work. If you know of anything on the web which might help, feel free to suggest.

That aside, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I've got another story to update today XD It's nice to keep busy I guess. I just hope I don't get a bad case of writer's block.

Thanks for the reviews. Feel free to ask me anything or make suggestions.

**--Blade**


	3. Chapter 3

**..Chapter Three..**

**..**

**.**

**..**

"Hinata!"

She groaned, lulling her head to the side. Was that a voice? Calling her? It sounded so... familiar... but her head felt so fuzzy.. Maybe if she just stayed down a while longer it would stop hurting? Maybe.

She groaned again and softly exhaled, tightening her eyes shut.

"Hinata!" Gaara cried, his eyes worried as he looked down at her. This wasn't good. What the hell had happened in here? He looked up at his sister who was next to him on the other side of the girl. "What did you do to her?!"

She blinked, his worried eyes catching her off guard. He looked like he was ready to kill her. What was that about? She shook her head, trying to get herself straitened out. "Nothing," she said looking down at the girl and then back up at him. "One minute I was telling her about the party and going with you and the next..."

"The next what?" He bore down on her, voice strained.

"She fainted. That's all. Her face got really red and she dropped like a rock."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "You're leaving something out."

She gasped slightly. "Gaara.." He never treated her this way.

"What," he began tightly, "did you say to her _specifically_?"

She stared at him for a while, trying against hope to look innocent. He wasn't buying it though.

"Temari..." He edged in a deadly tone.

"Oh fine," she threw her hands up in defeat. "I just told her I wanted her to look her nice for the party. I offered to buy her some new clothes. She wasn't objecting at all. She seemed to be thankful."

"_And_?"

"_And_," she put emphasis on the word just as he did, "I told her it was ok because I thought she should look good for you. That it would be your first date." Her eyes were slightly down cast and to the side; her words mumbled a bit.

He glared at her. What was he suppose to say? She never got involved in his private life before. He never had a problem not being... involved with anyone. He was a recluse. He hated people. He hated women. They were nosy and butted their way into everything. They took over your life. Men were just as bad, if one liked men. You had to... conform and change. He didn't want to change. He didn't _want_ to date.

And here she was, scaring the poor shy girl with mention of a date. "It's not a date," he hissed. "We're...friends."

"You don't have friends, Gaara," she argued.

He looked back down at the sleeping girl. As he reached under her back and legs, lifting her, he said, "Now I do." He turned, not seeing the stunned look in his sister's eyes as he placed her gently... tenderly on the bed. He reached out, tentatively... and brushed aside her black strands from her face. She was an angel. A lovely angel.

How had his thoughts gone this route? Why did she mean anything to him? Where had this sudden urge to protect her come from? He ran his thumb over her lower lip softly. His eyes rippled with unchecked emotions.

She made him... feel. No one ever made him feel anything aside from apathy. He'd hardly known her a full day. There was just something about her that made him want to protect her; to make sure she was alright. She seemed so helpless on her own; so down right easy to scare.

"Gaara?"

He didn't look back. He wasn't mad at her. She was only trying to help Hinata. For that he was thankful. She'd just... gone about it the wrong way. "I'm not mad at you."

Temari nodded. At least he was talking to her. That was a vast improvement over this morning; hell, the last eighteen years or so of his life.

Hinata shifted, drawing both of their gazes.

Gaara pull his hand away from her; afraid. Of her? Or of what he might do to her? He didn't know.

Cold pools of soft lavender opened to them both. She blinked a few times. And then she sat up, looking around. "What happened?

"You passed out. That's all," Temari offered kindly. She looked down at her watch. "Are you ok? We really need to get going."

She nodded and reached for a set of clothes off her bed. "I'll be ready shortly. Just wait outside for me."

Gaara looked at her for a while longer. Temari tugged him. He gave a final worried glance and then followed his sibling out; shutting the door behind him with a gentle click.

"Ready for the start of a brilliant new year?" She grinned at him.

He grunted at her.

All she did was laugh.

ooo

Hinata waved goodbye to Temari as she stood in front of the daunting door before her. This was her first class. Was she ready for it? She shuffled her feet in front of the door and looked down at her shoes.

_"You'll get in. Have faith." His smiling face laughed at her..._

She blinked, the sudden memory gone from her thoughts. Her eyes suddenly became more determined. Yes, she could do this. She had to. If he'd had enough faith in her to see it through... then yes. She could.

She reached for the old looking silver door knob and opened it up before she lost her nerve. She shut it behind her silently and looked up. Students were talking loudly and laughing in the room. Some were even playing instruments. She blinked a few times and someone noticed her.

"Hi! Are you new?" The girl had the most... unusual hair color she had ever seen in her life. It was a bright cotton candy pink. Her eyes were a brilliant emerald green. Her clothing was very punk. She had a short leather skirt on and a... corset? It had silvery blue swirls in it. Her lower lip had a few piercings and on her left arm was the tattoo of brilliant pink petals that wove about her back and chest. She had boots that went to her knees and laced up.

All Hinata could do was nod.

She reached out an offered her hand to her. "I'm Sakura. Sakura Haruno."

She took the hand offered and shook it gently.

"And you are?"

She was blinking a few more times and spoke; her voice soft, "H-hinata H-hyuuga."

"Hyuuga? Really?!" Her face looked like a mix between shock and joy. "You must be related to Neji, right?"

She nodded. "H-he's my c-cousin," she stammered.

She grinned, her hands on her hips. "That's great. Have you seen him around yet? I know he's a whole grade above us, but still."

She shook her head. She hadn't seen her cousin in a few years. Not since he left her home town. She'd wanted to call him and tell him she would be here, but, she didn't want to bother him.

"Huh," she frowned slightly. "We'll have to look for him later. Let me introduce you to the group." She took Hinata's arm and directed her to a group of students in the center of the room. Once they both reached them she began to point and introduce. "The guy sitting there who looks like he has a stick stuck up his ass is Sasuke."

"Feh..." He muttered at her. He did lift a hand to wave though. His feet were propped on the desk in front of him as he leaned back into the chair. His arms were behind his head to support him as he chewed on what looked like a guitar pick. His clothing was simply a form fitting blue T shirt, black jeans and a very... James Dean style leather jacket.

She grinned and looked at Hinata. "My charming boyfriend." She pointed to another one. "That there is Ino, my best friend. She sings. Her voice is killer. Oh, and Sasuke plays bass guitar."

"What's up?" Ino grinned. The woman before her had long blond hair and a sharp curve of bangs placed to one side of her head; slightly covering one eye. Her eyes shone a lovely blue. Her attire was different that her best friend's. It had a preppy feel to it. Her shirt was a soft looking pink sweater slightly off the shoulder to reveal two straps. She had a white skirt on, from what Hinata could see in her seated position; and a silver glittering belt of a chain. Her shoes shone a silver color and had a slouched look around the ankle. They were high heels. They reminded Hinata of hooker boots. But, with that outfit they looked adorable.

Sakura moved on, pointing to another. "The cute romantic there is Sai. He has mad skills when it comes to mixing a beat. You could call him our little DJ."

Sai smiled politely. "If you're free later I'd love to show you."

Hinata blushed.

Sakura smirked. "Quit it Sai. You're giving her a complex."

Sai just smiled mysteriously. Hinata thought he was lovely, as far as guys go. He wasn't anything like Gaara. His hair a deep coal black to match his eyes. His skin was whiter than snow. The clothing he adorned himself was a mix between Scottish and modern She didn't think she'd ever heard of anyone wearing a kilt anymore. Not unless it was at a wedding.

"That," the pink haired girl said,"is Naruto. He's out resident big mouth and hard jammin' electric violinist."

Suddenly, before she had time to think, a bright ball of blond hair appeared in front of her, making her jump.

He had a huge grin plastered on his face. It looked to contain as much energy as an atom bomb waiting to go off. His eyes were a brighter shade of blue than Ino's had been. They were electric. His clothing was a little more down toned than the rest. He had a simple band T shirt tightly hugging his upper body the color of gray. It tucked into a pair of blue jeans. The only oddity was a pair of goggles holding hair out of his eyes and the black gauge in his left ear.

"Nice to meet you. What instrument do you play?"

Sakura bopped him on the head.

"Oi! What was that for?" He pouted, holding his head while looking at Sakura.

"I haven't even told them what her name was."

"Oh..."

She smiled, looking satisfied at having promptly brought him down a peg. "Everyone, this," she motioned to her, "Is Hinata. She'd Neji's cousin."

She waved at him, blushing slightly. "H-hello."

"So?" Naruto was asking.

"S-so?" She asked in return.

"What instrument do you play? Or do you sing?" He placed his hands on his hips and regarded her.

"O-Oh..." She began. All of them were staring at her and she felt pressured. _Breathe, Hinata, breathe._ She did and gave an awkward smile. "Electric c-cello."

"Really?" Sasuke was asking, surprising everyone enough to look over at him. He frowned. "What? We've never had one in the school before."

She nodded. "Y-yes."

"That's sweet. I've heard most cello players are pretty quiet." Sakura smiled, putting an arm over her shoulder. "Who are rooming with this year? I got stuck with a rude upper classman. Thankfully Ino's room mate let me switch with her."

"G-Gaara." she stated shyly. "G-Gaara Sabaku."

Now... it wasn't often and entire group of people went dead silent and stone faced... much less and entire room. So, you can imagine the poor girl's absolute dread when all eyes were on her. She felt feint instantly.

"You're rooming with Gaara?" Ino whispered in disbelief. "If you want you can room with Sakura and I. I mean... whoa... Gaara? The Devil?"

Hinata was confused. What was she talking about? The Devil? Gaara wasn't... a demon. He was kind to her. He'd been rude at first... but she was sure he was only trying to ensure the safety of the school. "N-no thank you."

More stares.

"You actually want to room with him?" Sakura was speaking up. "The guy is a nut case. He never speaks to anyone. If he does... it's rude as all hell."

Naruto was nodded. "Some people say he..." Naruto looked about, as if to see if anyone was listening; which... was silly, everyone was. "He holds demonic rituals in his room when he practices. Like he sold his soul to Satan himself because he plays like a demon."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You're idiotic. He's a drummer. A weird one... but still a damned good one. Satanic rituals? Demon?" He grunted. "Rumors. And that's just because he hates people."

Sakura frowned at her boyfriend. "That's just not normal..."

Hinata was frowning now too... they were not being nice at all. They had even gone so far as to speak about him behind his back. "You shouldn't speak about Gaara that way. He's a good person. His only crime is being different." Was that her? For the second day in a row? And the red head wasn't around? She mentally patted her back.

Naruto's brows rose as high as they could go. "If you say so..." He grinned. "Oh! Are you going to the party tonight?"

She nodded, wanting to change the subject. "Yes, Temari is taking me with a few girls to shop for some clothes before it starts." She was on a roll.

Sakura smiled instantly. "Temari? She's awesome. We've been friends for years now. Mind if I join you guys for the trip?"

"I don't." She smiled back. "As long as Temari doesn't."

"She won't." Sakura looked over at Ino. "What about you? Up for some afternoon shopping after classes?"

"Always." She grinned, eyes shinning.

"Alright class! I'm Kakashi Hatake. And you slackers will be my victims for at least the next... ten months?" He counted his fingers and smiled. "Yup, something like that."

Sakura turned, eyes fuming. "You're late, teach! Class was suppose to start fifteen minutes ago!"

The silver haired man with one good eye and an eye patch over the other scratched the back of his head as he smiled. "Ehh... a black cat crossed my path?"

Naruto rolled his eyes and took a seat. "Yeah, right."

Hinata blushed and quickly took her own seat. It was going to be long day already. She could see that now.


	4. Chapter 4

**..Chapter Four..**

**..**

**.**

**..**

When Hinata had left her final class for the day she'd come to one conclusion...

People hated Gaara.

Well, no, that was too strong a word. They didn't hate him. They were outright afraid of him. How had the boy managed to incur such a reputation in two years?

Hinata assumed the rumor Naruto had told her about had to be just a joke. Apparently people actually believed it. Some did anyway. Especially the hard ass christian types. She'd even been told by one girl that someone had tried to exorcize him last year; thinking his outright horrible attitude and mute-by-choice ways were the work of a demon. Boy had they gotten the shock of a life; considering, she'd been told he'd been near beating the idiot into a pulp for throwing holy water on him. Had it not been for his older brother he would have.

These people were nuts. They had to be.

Ok, not all of them were. Some of them, like Sasuke Uchiha and his brother Sai didn't seem to have much bad to say about him. Another shock there. She'd only found out by accident that the two men were brothers. Supposedly they didn't like announcing it to the world. Sakura told her they both had too many fan girls as it was. If the school knew they were related, even if only by marriage, girls would show up by the troves to get one to help her nab the other. And while Sai liked to play around with the 'chicks' as Sakura put it... he didn't like dealing with Sasuke's fan girls. They were worse than his own.

Or so she'd been told.

"Hinata!" A familiar voice called her.

She looked up from her dragging feet to see Temari. She tried for a tentative smile as the older women made her way to her.

"Are you ready for an afternoon of shopping?" She grinned at her.

She nodded. Inside she was still unsure. But how could she refuse the kind woman's offer to help her? Besides, she really was looking forward to an afternoon with some friends. Something she was in sore need of. Something that had been on her list of goals this trip.

"Great! Oh, and Sakura told me." She smiled. "She's so pushy. Poor thing had no idea I was going to invite her and Ino anyway." And then she was leading her down the hall and towards the entrance.

And... in the back of Hinata's mind... she had to wonder however she came out of this... would Gaara like her new look?

ooo

"This one! Try on this one!"

"You'll look fantastic in this."

"Guys will be all over you in this as well."

Hinata blinked at the clothes being tossed in her arms for the dressing room. She looked back up at the three girls with bleak eyes. Half the clothes they'd picked out showed more skin than she'd ever been prepared to reveal in her life. Were they trying to turn her into a hooker? Her thoughts were moving in a disastrous direction.

Maybe she was over reacting a little bit, she tried to tell herself. He'd always wanted her to dress more confidently. Not whorishly. Just confidently. She vaguely recalled looking through magazine with him as he tried to get her to visualize a new look for herself. Many of the items in in it he'd suggested looked no different from the one's she was now holding in her arms with confusion and fear ridden all over her face.

She felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, that girl who's name she could never recall from Never Been Kissed and Audrey Hepburn from My Fair Lady all wrapped into one. Well, she thought, a little disgusted with herself, maybe not so much Julia Roberts. She'd really been a hooker.

"You ok, Hina?" Temari looked at her with concern.

"Yes," She smiled with a new found enthusiasm. "I am. I'll go in the dressing room and try these on. Just keep handing me more when we figure out which ones to go with and which ones to put aside."

Temari looked almost surprised. She'd been worried for a moment that the shy girl would back out of this whole thing and want to go home. She'd been more than prepared for a pep talk. However, whatever fears the young ebony haired girl had seemed to have before were gone. Temari couldn't be happier. "Good." She said with a smile and watched the girl wander off behind the white door.

Temari turned back to the two women currently chatting it up. "Hey... is it just me... or are we picking out things maybe... too..."

"...normal?" Ino offered, her full attention now on Temari.

Temari nodded. "Most of these clothes seem more my style or yours, Ino." She turned to Sakura. "What do you think?"

She shrugged. "Have we even asked what she wanted to wear?"

"No, we haven't..." Temari pondered. However her mind was wondering what Gaara might like to see her in. The problem with that was she had no idea, since she had nothing to base it on. Gaara never indicated any interest in any women in his whole life. The closest he got was bands. Bands that happened to have a good female member. And he never commented on their looks. Only the sound.

She eyed the two girls. "You know... I'd rather not make too much of a drastic change.. but.."

"But what?" Ino offered.

Her lips twitched as she considered. "I think it might be just what she needs."

Sakura blinked, hands on her leather skirted hips. "What kind of change?" She loved plotting.

"What if... "Temari edged quietly... "...we had her try on some thing more Sakura's style. Not exact... but more dark. More goth.. Not too much pink. I think the color might look terrible on her. Too Strawberry Shortcake." She paused a moment, thinking. "Something more... black. It would not only bring out her hair and eyes but show the lovely contrast in her pale skin."

"Ohhhhhh," Sakura breathed. "I love it. Not as skimpy as my style. Maybe more refined? More elegant?"

"Exactly," Temari said. "We could make her out to look like a bloody fallen angel or a lost princess. Hell, she's got the act. All she needs is the look."

Ino grinned. "Regality always gives one confidence."

"And that's exactly what our girl needs." Temari finished triumphantly.

"But..." Sakura edged with a pout. "We won't find any of the stuff here. And I'm _not_ going to Hot Topic again. I'm so sick of their commercialism I could be sick."

Ino wrinkled her nose. "True... where then?"

Temari grinned. "We'll go to my favorite shop. It's got enough variety to satisfy even the most picky of dressers. The Blue Demon."

"Um, how's this?" Hinata came out.

"Not too bad," Temari said, "We'll take that and go. Keep it on and rip off the tags. We'll buy the bras and underwear too we picked out earlier."

She blinked in confusion. "Why? Is something wrong with the other clothes?"

She shook her head. "No, I've got an idea I need to run with. We're going to another shop."

"O-ok," Hinata said and turned to do what she asked.

ooo

The first thing our young heroine thought when she walked into the small shop was... _whoa_. It had clear, clean windows to peer into. The front one bore the name The Blue Devil in bright silvery blue letters. It was like a cross between calligraphy and tribal.

The shop itself was daunting. It was daring and different. The clothing came in all shapes, colors, fabrics, styles and sizes. The most amazing part of it all...? She felt like she was in a dream. Everything was so... abnormal and yet lovely all at once. A lot of it reminded her of something she would see on a movie about vampires, fairy princesses and noble courtiers all rolled into one.

"Ok," stated Sakura as she looked at her, "I know we said we were going to help you. And I promise you we will. But, for now I want you to go look through some things and pick out some stuff you like."

Hinata nodded eagerly. She much preferred this idea. There was so much in the shop she was already wanted to dive into.

"Ok, have at it!" Ino cried to her.

The shopping took almost all afternoon. They didn't leave once. The poor sales clerk was at her wits end trying to get them everything they needed for the young girl. Accessories, earrings, shoes, more bras and underwear, hose and even some make up. Hinata was amazed they sold that.

She tried on everything. From sparkling silver shoes to gowns that looked like they belonged in the Renaissance. There were hats of all shapes and sizes. Gloves, she found, were her new friend. She purchased one pair for every day of the week. Her favorite pair being a set which were fingerless only at the tips. They cuffed slightly halfway up her forearm. All black and all leather. She could see herself playing her cello in these.

She had at least three new pairs of shoes. One were a pair of boots for everyday wear that reached her knees. They had only a slight heel and buckled in the front. Another pair were small ballet type slippers. They too were black and had a red ribbon on the front. Her final pair were just a pair of fuzzy white slippers. Nothing too important. but she needed some.

She bought skirts, dresses, tops with belled sleeves and silken scarves for just about anything one could think of using them for. She bought picks for her hair to be done up oriental style and tiny butterfly looking clips made of false crystal to pull some of her bangs back.

She bought warmers for her arms and legs made of an array of colors. And the gowns... oh, the gowns. Some were made of chiffon. Some had corset-like tops that seemed more elegant than whorish to Hinata. Sure, they showed a food amount of cleavage... but, she'd always wanted to look as pretty as some of the women in those films.

By the time all of this was done she was in daze and worn out. At some point her other three friends had wandered off; more than happy she'd found what she needed on her own. Temari said she'd had a hidden style of her own just waiting to pop out in the right shop. And it had.

Now she found herself looking around more closely. She still felt like there was something missing. Something she needed for tonight. She just couldn't put her finger on it. All of her clothes were lovely. Every one of them was... gorgeous. Temari was more than kind for all of this. She intended to make it up to her some how.

As she wandered further to the back of the shop something in a darkened corner caught her eye. It was almost fleeting and yet there all the same. She drew in closer to it, feeling like something marvelous was just waiting for her.

When she finally reached it her breath caught. It was the most magnificent dress she'd ever seen. It was almost too good for her. The first thing she noted about it was the back as she circled. On the back were two white angel wings stitched in elaborately. They were lined in silver and looked to be almost painted on. That's just how _good_ the seam work was. The wings were done not into the back of the gown itself, but instead into a cape that was attached to the back of it. The material was that same blue black midnight. Sewn into the fabric itself were tiny sparkling sequence. It fell to the floor in length.

It was just off the shoulders and would easily reveal only a hint of cleavage. Just enough to catch the eyes but not too much to leave nothing to the imagination. The edges of the neckline spiked upward all around in just a bare hint. Like soft lace. The sleeves were only slightly belled to go past one's wrists and over her knuckles.

It was enough to make her want to cry. There was no way imaginable she could afford this lovely gown. Nor would she ask Temari for it after she'd spent so much already.

"You like it?" The sales clerk was suddenly right next to her.

She nodded.

"Take it."

Hinata turned her eyes swiftly to her. "W-what?" Had she heard her right?

She only smiled. "I made it for someone like you."

"Y-you? You made this?" She stared at her with new found admiration. It was beautiful. More lovely than anything else in the store. "I can't take it. I just can't. You put so much w-work into it."

She grinned at her, chuckling. "You're right. I did. But I don't sell my favorite pieces. I make them because the inspiration comes to me; telling me that eventually... someone will walk through those doors and be made for it." She leaned over and whispered. "I have a gift... and I know this dress, without a doubt, will fit you and only you."

As she pulled back all Hinata could do was stare.

"It'll be an insult to me if you don't take it." She began to frown.

Hinata felt her face flare up. "Oh... n-no I wouldn't... I m-mean... I wouldn't want to insult you." She fought for words.

She laughed, bring Hinata back as ease. "I'll pull it down as you can take it with you." She was already reaching up and pulling down the false model the gown was draped over.

"Shouldn't I try it on first?"

"I told you," she smiled as she carefully took the gown off the model. She started towards the counter and Hinata followed. She reached for a hanger and a bag to cover it in. "it will fit no one but you."

Hinata could only nod at the mysterious woman as she accepted the gift. She did manage a, "Thank you," though.

"No problem. Take good care of it. It's my best piece."

"I will," she said urgently.

All the woman did was smile at her.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

**AN: **My inspiration for Hinata's gown came from the dress in Ever After that Drew Barrymore wore near the end of the movie when she goes to finally tell Henry the truth and it backfires for her. It isn't the same exactly, but the design is there. I didn't give her the large wings in the back because... well... she is going to a party with a bunch of kids and it would hamper her. It's not a masque.

And a store named the Blue Devil really does exist here in Florida. It's located in Ybor city. Although it's just a really, really good tattoo shop. Better than atomic in my opinion. However, more expensive.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reviews make me want to write more sooner. But, for those who have reviewed... Thank you.

**--Blade**


	5. Chapter 5

**..Chapter Five..**

**..**

**.**

**..**

When the three girls finally made it back to Hinata's room Gaara was no where in sight. She felt a pang of disappointment. Classes were over so where was he? She knew he seemed rather aloof. It was only natural he'd be in their room and avoiding people.

Temari set their bags down on the floor. "In case you're wondering where Gaara is he's at afternoon practice. He has a personal teacher. All of us do. It's just one day a week."

Hinata nodded as she turned. She'd never really thought about that. Her personal teacher was every Wednesday at six o'clock. Her eyes wandered to the wall and noted the time. If he had it for an hour like her he'd be done just in time for the party at seven; it started at eight... but it would give him time to get ready as well. She was secretly happy it was a Friday. She didn't really know why, aside from the fact that she could stay up later without worrying about classes. It was almost silly. She was an adult in a prestigious school. She could stay up as late as she wanted to whenever she wanted to.

"Hinata?"

Lavender pools turned to bright emerald. "Yes?"

She smiled and held up a couple of bottles. "I know you might not be keen on the idea... but... I'm thinking a few highlights might just be what your hair needs."

"_Dye_?"

Sakura nodded.

Hinata had never dyed her hair before. She loved the color of it just the way it was. Although.. Sakura wasn't talking about changing it completely. She just wanted to add some highlights. "W-what color?" She asked half curious and half fearful.

She grinned. "The same color as your eyes, only a little more electric. More neon."

Hinata thought this over a while. Dye was permanent. Granted, she could wait till it grew out... but that would take a while. Her hair was long.

Sakura seemed to note her apprehension. "Don't worry. If you don't like what I do we can take it out. I have remover. Some very good professional dye remover."

It was all she needed to hear. "Ok."

Sakura led her into the bathroom and set her on the toilet. Hinata faced the wall with her legs spread, her top off and her forearms resting on the back toilet lid. She stared at the wall while the pinked haired punk went to work on her hair. A towel was wrapped about her shoulders and she sighed.

What if she didn't like it? What if it looked horrible? What if Gaara didn't like it? She tapped a finger to her lips. This was silly. They weren't dating. They weren't even boyfriend and girlfriend. He was just her room mate. He was just being nice to her. She didn't know why when he seemed to dislike and piss off so many people.

Was there something different about her? Because being his room mate didn't seem the reason for his kindness; at least, if what Sakura and Ino had told her was accurate. People avoided him to such an extreme that they actually cramped three people into a room for the year to get away from him. What was everyone else seeing when they looked at Gaara that she didn't?

This was perplexing.

She sighed long and stared at the wall bit more intently. As if said wall held all the answers she was looking for. She wasn't an idiot. She knew she felt an attraction for him. She knew he was sexy in a very dark, dark way. It was they way he moved, the way he looked at you and the way his presence filled the room. It was dark and powerful. It demanded your attention even if he didn't want it. There was a hidden passion beneath his eyes. A fire. No, a squall. Like an out of control storm waiting to erupt and suck you in just by the sheer force.

Gaara was very much a force of nature without even trying. She could see why people thought he was a demon in human skin. He had the hair, the look and presence. And Sasuke had stated he played drums like a demon. She suddenly wanted to see him play. She wondered if he would ever let her.

"All done!"

Hinata blinked out of her thoughts.

"All you need to do is wash it out with some water. If we keep it in don't shampoo it for at least five days. The natural oils in your hair will help keep the dye from fading and solidify the color."

"Ok," she said with a nod and stood. It was only a moment later she found herself in the bathroom alone and the door shut. It took her a few minutes to rinse her hair until the water ran clean. She washed up and stepped out. She toweled off and there came a knock at the door.

"Yes?"

"It's just me, Sakura. I need to blow dry your hair so you won't ruin your new clothes."

"Come in." Hinata wanted to look in the mirror but the pink haired girl was having none of it. Not until they were done. So, she sat down, towel around her body and let her work on her wet strands.

"Ok," she was saying to Hinata. "I'm done for now. When you put on your outfit we'll put it up with some of those new hair accessories Temari bought for you." She grinned down at her unsure features. "Go ahead and look, luv."

Hinata nodded, small smile on her face and moved towards the mirror. And suddenly... that smile slowly turned into a grin. She reached up and touched her long beautiful strands. The highlights were thin and separated. The color was bright enough that it really did bring out her eyes and accent her skin. She seemed to glow.

"You like it?"

"I love it," she breathed. "Thank you." She turned to her, suddenly hugging Sakura. Hinata was not a touchy grabby person. She always respected other people's need for personal space. But, she was just so overwhelmed with emotion.

Sakura didn't seem to mind in the least. She laughed and hugged back. "C'mon. We need to get you dressed and put on some make up."

It was some time later that they had her hair and make up done. Everyone was fussing over her as she sat in the chair patiently and quietly. She felt so... loved. So cared for. In her whole life she'd never had friends who were so kind. She'd had friends in her small town. And they had been close at times. Close enough to tell secrets and whisper about crushes. But... not like what she was feeling now. Had he known this when he told her to register for this school? Had he?

"Ok!" Ino shouted. "All done with make up. Now," she smiled at her. "Since we neglected to get your outfit on before I did this I hope you've picked out something that won't mess up all my work and Sakura's."

Hinata nodded. It's why she hadn't argued when they got right to work on her.

"Do you need help putting it on?" Ino was asking.

She shook her head. "I don't think s-so."

Temari nodded next to her. "Alright, well, before you get a look at yourself go in your room and change. Then you can take it all in with a look from the tall mirror."

She did. Hinata stood up and reached for the black bag covered gown and walked into the room to change.

Temari blinked. "Hey... did we buy anything in a black bag on a hanger?"

Sakura shook her head. "No... everything went into the paper bags and folded. Ino hung most of it up in her closet while I worked on her hair."

"Huh..." Temari said.

Ino stood up and started putting the make up away in the little pouch. "Maybe she bought something herself."

Temari frowned, her arms crossing over her chest. "I told her I'd buy everything though."

"Maybe it was expensive?" Ino offered as she zipped up the pouch.

Temari was still frowning. Hinata had said she couldn't afford to buy new clothes. She knew she wouldn't buy anything expensive. And she knew the girl hadn't been lying to her. All it took was one long look in her former wardrobe to see that. Ah well... if she thought about it too much it would hurt her brain.

The door opened and everyone turned to look. Everyone was silent as she finally came out. It was like the room had taken pause at her very entrance. No one moved. No one breathed. A few jaws hung open slightly.

Hinata suddenly felt dread run through her. She placed a hand over her mouth and her eyes looked frightened. "Oh my, is it bad? D-does it look that bad?" She felt her heart drop. It was her worst fear come true. She'd finally picked something out all by herself. Something she loved and it looked bad on her, She turned to go back, into the room and change.

"Wait!" All three girl shouted at the same time.

Hinata's hand paused on the handle and she slowly turned, eyes shaking with wavering confidence.

"When did you get _that_?" Temari asked.

"Ditto on that, luv," Sakura joined in.

"What... a dress." Ino looked jealous.

Hinata smiled slightly, her confidence slowly returning. "You like it?"

All three nodded.

"C'mon," Temari came forwards and led her towards the mirror. "It doesn't matter if we like it. Do you like it?" And the she placed Hinata in front of the long mirror.

Her breath caught and her hand went over her open mouth. Hades... was that _her_? No, her eyes must be tricking her. She blinked a few times as if to rid herself of the illusion. No... it was real. That was her. That was her and she looked like a princess. She reached up, touching her hair gently as not to undo all the work Sakura had put into it.

The strands were pulled up tight and wound in those two picks she'd gotten earlier. It was a mess but lovely too. Tendrils of it fell down and caressed her bare shoulders. Those highlights just seemed to add more of an affect. There was glitter in her hair and on her face. It wasn't a lot. But enough that when she passed a light you could see a mask of white glitter around her eyes.

There was dark make up about her eyes too. They were lined with a faint black pencil. Her lashes seemed longer, making her depths look smaller and more refined; unlike the large and innocent appeal they had before. She found she liked it. It made her look more adult. More mature.

Her lips were dark. The color was a mixture of black and mostly metallic purple with bit of shimmer in it. It plumped her lips and just seemed to further her dark look. And the dress... the woman had been right. It fit her like a glove, like it was made for her. She found no matter which direction she moved in it the material gave and never ripped.

"Alright, Hinata." Temari said behind her. "We have to get..." Her face looked worried suddenly. "Hinata?" She frowned and touched her shoulders. "Hinata? What's wrong?"

She was shaking. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't. It would mess up all their work. She turned and looked at Temari, holding back tears. "Thank you." She looked at the other two girls. "All of you. I-I... I don't t-think I've ever had anyone be so kind as you three have been to me today."

All three smiled.

"It's alright," Sakura said. "I love doing hair. Any chance I get."

Ino laughed softly. "Doing the girlie stuff and helping each other out is fun. You're one of us now. Don't sweat it."

Temari looked down at her, a smile in her eyes and one her face. "Like they said, we enjoyed today as much as you did. So, no tears."

Hinata nodded.

"Ok, like I was saying before. We have to go get ready ourselves. We shouldn't take too long. We'll be back to get you ok?"

"Temari?"

"Hm?"

"Before you go can I talk to you alone?"

Temari arched a brow but nodded all the same. She looked over at her two friends. "I'll meet you guys at your room in five to change. Ok?"

They agreed and left, waving and smiling the whole way out the door.

Temari turned to Hinata. "Is something up?"

She shook her head. "Not really. I was just curious about Gaara. Should I wait for him?"

"Nah, he'll show up later. He's still got to get ready himself after practice. Just wait for us ok?"

"Alright," she smiled and watched as the tall blond left.

She took that moment to give her form one more appreciative look over. Yes, she was happy. She was happy and she was going to enjoy herself tonight. Just like _he_ wanted her to.

ooo

Sweat dripped off his form; it rolled. His body was soaked and his hair stuck to his face. His lips were parted and his face a twisted heat of fury. He moved like a god. He hit like a demon possessed. The sound filled him, it swept through him. He close his eyes and leaned over clashing the stick against a cymbal as the sound of a guitar ran through his blood. He slowed down for a moment, hitting the beat just right as the sound around him edged upward... raising to a stronger, more powerful set of chords. When this happened he went at it.

Drips rolled off his slightly toned abs and brick solid arms. His hair tossed to the side as he changed up rhythm and moved into his solo. His grit his teeth and his eyes flashed open as he increased his speed.

He was glad he'd taken off his shirt. It would be drenched after such a long practice.

He wasn't done. Not by a long shot. He drilled into them, beating with the fury only known to those already damned in this existence.

Some say he moved like he played. Some said he put something into his music that no other could understand. They all listened, they all stared with bated breath but none of them got it. Not a damn one.

He changed up the beat again, his grip tightening on the sticks. His arms ached and his shoulders burned. And all he could see beyond the flames of his mind were those eyes. Eyes that ran through him like hot fire.

He cried out, pushing himself further, harder, more acutely. He wasn't going to stop. He wouldn't. Not until someone ripped him from his stool. Not until Hades himself took him by the arm and yanked him from his intent beat.

He wanted to smile but it wasn't in him. He drew his head back and allowed elation to pass through his eyes as his soft lashes drifted shut. Pale lips curved into a smirk and he ran with the music. He could hear a piano in the background, pushing in to catch up; pushing him into that own personal hell that everyone saw him in.

_Devil._

_Demon._

_Damned._

_He plays like he moves. He beats like he's possessed._

_Do you think..._

_No..._

YES! He screamed in his mind. It had been two years ago. Two years ago he came to this school that his siblings had joined years earlier. The same one his father demanded he go to. He never had a problem with it. He'd wanted to go. Even if he and the old man never really got a long. It had been one of the few things they agreed on.

He'd always been quiet, reserved, and constantly kept to himself. Girls from his high school knew by the second month to just leave him alone. Guys quickly figured out he wasn't a threat to any of their girlfriends and left him alone for the most part. They all assumed he was goth or some other stupid bullshit. They said a lot of things about him. No one ever claimed he was a demon though. He'd not been nearly as bad there though. Probably because everyone had gotten the hint and not bothered him. Bullies were not afraid of him, but he'd never been cornered either. His arms usually made them change their minds.

He wasn't boasting. He never would. Being a drummer who practiced a solid two hours a day on average did give you some tight arms though.

Then he came here. And the girls were different here. They weren't preppy and many of them dressed in colors of a darker sort. Many of them were punk, goth or on the 'weird' side when it came to their clothes. They'd assumed he was just like them. They weren't as shy or easy to scare as the girls in his high school. All of which were ten sheets to the wind rich off daddy's money. Not that he was any different. He just didn't flaunt it.

That's when the rumors had started. He always turned them down with a hard glare and for some reason they didn't get it! They didn't get that he wanted none of it. He didn't want to date. He didn't want a girlfriend. He came here for one reason and one reason alone. To further his career. He didn't have time for women or their stupid games.

They started called him a demon, a devil, they claimed he was possessed by Satan himself. At one point or another they had gotten a glimpse of him playing and it only made the rumors worse. They just couldn't see anyone playing so good. Good? Who was he kidding? He still had a long way to go.

At some point he just let it go. He no longer cared. If they wanted to paint this picture of him being Damien, son of the dark under lord himself... so be it. He gave them a show and pronounced the image. And it worked for him. Amazingly so. No one asked him out anymore. No one spoke to him anymore. It had been good for a long while. Until...

Until that idiot with a bottle of holy water thought to exorcize him last year. He'd been ready to kill him. He saw nothing but red and wanted to rip every shred of stupidity out of the moron. Were it not for Kankurou telling him, stopping him and holding him back, warning him that if he lost his cool he'd be kicked out of the school... well, he don't know what he would have done.

And that's what scared him the most.

It's what's made him wonder if he really was some demonic force in the body of a mortal. It's what made him hesitate everytime that angel with lavender-white eyes looked at him with something more behind those depths.

He'd never wanted anyone before. Not as a friend or even possibly something more. And it shook him to his core. Gaara had never been afraid of anything. And here he was.. afraid of not only himself but the white-aura beauty he had for a room mate. He was afraid for her. He was afraid she was too timid, too shy. He was afraid she might do some sort of damage to herself. It made him want to help her and protect her. Something he never wanted to do for anyone.

Most of all... he was afraid he might not be able to protect her from himself.

"Gaara!"

He faintly heard someone calling him, touching his shoulder. All he saw was red. He stopped playing and turned, fist drawn as his eyes narrowed in liquid flame. And then he stopped. His face returned to normal and he looked at his brother. "You should know better than to stop me in the middle of it, Kankurou."

His brother sighed and rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't have. But, the timer stopped ten minutes ago. The music was done. You just kept going." He motioned to the chair in the room. "Anko is gone. Practice is over."

He nodded, saying nothing in response. He took the offered towel from his brother and wiped his frame down. His shirt was tossed next and he slid it on. His sticks were grabbed and he began to head out.

"You going to the party?" Kankurou called.

He paused...considering much like he had with Hinata in the hall the first night. Instead of replying though he just nodded and stalked out of the room. The door was slammed behind him.

Kankurou sighed. "He just keeps getting angrier and angrier every year. Eash," he mutter, hands on his hips. "Makes my job harder."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

**AN:** Thanks again for all the reviews. I'm glad you like this story. -smiles-

**Shadowfox19 :** You have no idea how hard that is to do. I mean, Hinata isn't that hard. But finding the right rhythm for Gaara is a pain in the ass. I've been thinking days on a way to have an explanation as to why he wouldn't jump Hinata's bones. Thankfully it came to me in the form of an 'almost fight'. And now the guy is pretty much afraid of his own out of control, barely contained emotions.

Enjoy the story! I have more to update.

**--Blade**


	6. Chapter 6

**..Chapter Six..**

**..**

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**..**

When Hinata finally stepped out of her room and out into the hall it was like a bomb of people had gone off. She held her hand up to her face, taking it all in. For a bunch of young college artists and musicians they sure knew how to decorate. Just how much of a tradition was this anyhow?

The hallway sparkled with lights, glittering paper streamers and reflecting disco balls. The lights, the real ones, were dimmed down enough to allow the tiny Christmas style clear ones to leave romantic effect. Almost all the rooms were open on her floor. Everyone was moving in and out. They were dancing, talking, laughing or sharing drinks and food.

Temari and the girls were suppose to be around. But, apparently Temari had some sort of accident involving liquid eyeliner and Ino. She wasn't entirely sure on the details... but she had told her to go on ahead of them and enjoy herself if she wasn't too shy to leave her room. And she wasn't.

Amazing how much confidence a new dress gave a girl.

She wasn't too sure where to go, glancing about with curious eyes. Some people passed her and smiled. Some waved and she waved back. A few commented on her dress and she thanked them as they moved to another room past her.

"Hinata?" A voice drifted from behind her that sounded as if it wasn't sure it was seeing her right.

She turned slowly and smiled slightly. "Neji!" A smile bloomed on her face as she closed the distance between the two of them. He looked smashing tonight. He always did.

The long locks of his waist length strands he'd always been teased about at home were pulled into a tight band just at the base of his back. She hadn't expected him to change that about himself. About his head was a strip of cloth black in color. She knew why he wore that; but, few others did. As a child there had been an accident and a scar was the result. He normally kept it hidden with a bandana. She liked it better this way.

An off white coat covered his form right down to the backs of his knees. Beneath that was simple dark brown shirt. This tucked into a pair... of what looked like kendo pants. Was he wearing Japanese thongs too? She couldn't tell.

He smiled softly at her, but only enough to ease her nerves. "I heard a rumor you were in this school. I guess I just didn't believe it until I saw you with my own eyes."

She laughed softly. "You never do; believe rumors that is."

He nodded. "True." His eyes gave her a sweep over. "You look lovely. Is this a new look for you? Or just for tonight?"

She placed her hands behind her back. "It's new. But this one is a lot nicer than my other clothes."

He smiled softly again. "It's nice to see you aren't stuttering anymore..." His voice was kind. "I was worried about you for a while...after..."

Her eyes flashed with fear over his sudden memory. "I know," she whispered and looked down.

He sighed. "I apologize, Hinata. I assumed... well. I see you still need more time." Another smile. "Allow me to change the subject and somehow salvage my lack of sensitivity?"

She nodded. Neji had always been kind to her. He was one of the few people in their small home town who understood her need to change, to move, to break out of her shell. He'd been there for her when... when _he_ passed away. Neji was a good friend and a relative. He always had this sense of chivalry about him; this sense of honor that showed when he was around women. Like a moment ago when he kindly apologized and asked something in such a way no other his age would look at him strait afterward for saying. Sometimes she wondered if he wasn't simply placed out of time.

"Neji, aren't you going to introduce me?" A cute and cocky voice said from nearly behind him.

He blinked as she came around to his right. "Of course," he said to the brown haired woman who tied her hair up into twin buns. "This is my cousin Hinata."

She was just as lovely as her cousin. Her attire was something akin to a pale blue kimono with lotus blossoms on the fabric. She smiled at Hinata.

"This is Tenten." He spoke with much affection in his voice as he reached out, his hand gently grazing her cheek as he continued. "The love of my life."

Tenten laughed at him. "You don't have to be so dramatic about it, silly." She turned a grin to Hinata. "I'm sure you know just how wordy he can be. Well, to those he loves."

She nodded, mirroring the expression. "I do. It's appreciated though. You are lucky to have him."

Tenten nodded. "I suppose I am." She too, like Neji, gave her form a quick scan. "That is a beautiful dress. I don't think I've ever seen one like it."

"Thank you," Hinata whispered.

"Would you care to join us, Hina?" Neji was saying.

She nodded. "Very much."

They walked on down the hall, Neji offering his arm to Tenten in a very old world fashion. Hinata had to smile at this. As they talked she learned much about the young woman who'd captured her cousin's heart. She was in a grade above Hinata, just like Neji. Like her cousin she also played piano. She was from Japan and her family was a descendant from a long line of weapons makers and masters. She herself had lived in the country until about the age of eleven. Hinata thought her speech was impeccable all considered.

And then another thought hit her. "Tenten?"

"Yes?" She looked over at her as she stood next to a punch bowl currently filling a small cup with the red liquid.

"You can read kanji right?" Hinata took the offered glass and sipped it.

She nodded. "I can. So do you need me to translate something for you?"

She nodded and lowered voice. "Have you ever met Gaara before?"

Tenten blinked at her. It was odd, because Hinata was sure the woman was rarely surprised. She seemed just as refined and composed at her cousin. "I have... briefly in passing. He doesn't like to be bothered."

"I know," she replied. "But, there is this mark on his forehead." She pointed to the place where it might be on her head. "Have you seen it before?"

"Ah," Tenten nodded. "I have. If you're wondering the mark means 'love'."

Hinata arched a brow in surprise. Love? It seemed too... not him. Why would he have such a mark? Was there a double meaning to it? She opted to ask Tenten about it instead. "Do you know why he has this mark?"

"Hmm..." The brunette pondered. She took another sip of her drink, swished it around her mouth and swallowed. "I know during ancient times all over the world, not just Japan, many warriors would bear such marks as a sign to not forget something. Or perhaps a mark of their past. Maybe even a reminder of a battle against a strong enemy?" She shrugged. "This is all speculation of course. Many people get tattoos for a variety of reasons."

Hinata sighed. This was no help at all. The mark did nothing to perplex her further. Why would Gaara have the mark on his face?

"You know..." Tenten murmured.

"Yes?" Her eyes drew to the brunette's.

"I seem to recall a few teachers talking about it last year when he got the thing." She was thinking again as she tapped her chin. "Yes, I do. Because it was right after that holy water incident." She snapped her fingers in sudden realization, but her serious features did not change as she continued. "Gaara told his sister in passing and they had overheard it. They were discussing it. Seems he told her it was evidence, to himself, that if he really was a demon he wanted a reminder of it. To everyone."

"Love?" Her brows rose.

She nodded. "It makes sense when you think about it. Demons love no one but themselves because no one else will love them. They are a cursed lot. Well, according to biblical text."

Her lips drew into a frown. No one loved Gaara? What of his family? Temari seemed to care about him. He couldn't possibly really believe he was a demon himself. Those were just rumors. Of course, all of this talk and her own thoughts did nothing but confuse her further about her red headed room mate.

"Oh damn." Tenten muttered as she looked off across the room.

"What's wrong, Tenten?" Hinata tried to follow the direction of her gaze to see what she was looking at.

"You'll have to excuse me. I need to go safe 'the love of my life' from one Naruto Namikaze."

"S-save him?" She took on a look of confusion.

Tenten nodded and sighed. "Not so much save him, but me really. Once those two start talking it never ends. They'll be there all night." She smiled sympathetically at her. "You'll be alright here by yourself?"

"Yes, of course." She grinned. "Go. Before it's too late."

Tenten flashed her a final grin and wave before she was walking across the large room with a quickened pace.

Hinata had to smile slightly. Her cousin was happy and Tenten was a wonderful girl. The perfect match for him. Both played the same instrument and along with it came that even yet calmed nature she had seen in so many other pianists.

Was Gaara the same way with his drums? Hm... she supposed. She didn't know many drummers. Many people she'd met in her home town did not play music. If they did it was more like a fiddle or some other country type instrument. She'd been told her mother played an Appalachian dulcimer when she'd been alive. It was a lap instrument that sounded much like a sitar if you played it the right way.

"Excuse me?"

Hinata turned to the masculine voice on her left. "H-hello," she murmured softly. He was young and tall. Only slightly taller than herself. His face seemed... so... cut. Not like Gaara's angular features. No, if anything he seemed more like something she might see in a fairytale novel about a knight in shinning armor and a godmother.

His pale gray strands were slicked back and stopped just at the base of his neck. His eyes were deep color she couldn't quite place the exact shade of. His lips were turned into a slight smile as he gazed down at her.

His attire was just as much a pseudo fairy tale as herself. Black slacks covered his long legs and a red poet shirt was wrapped tightly about is waist by a sash that hung to his knees. He had boots on and black leather cuffed gloves.

He looked like a bloody pirate.

Then again it seemed like everyone was dressing up in some type of costume at this party; whether it was their normal attire or just for tonight an exaggeration of their normal style.

"I'm Hidan." He reached for her hand. "You are?"

She blinked and reached out with uncertainty. He seemed nice enough though. She did gasp softly as he took her small hand in his and pressed pink lips to her bare knuckles. It didn't elicit the same feeling she got from Gaara... but she did feel a distinct jolt up her arm from his skin on hers.

"Hinata," she managed to reply.

Her hand lingered a while longer more in her own that needed before he dropped it. He gazed at her through hooded eyes. "A lovely name for a lovely woman."

She blushed slightly. 'T-thank you."

"Tell me," he began softly, deeply, "would you care to take a walk with me to another room? Perhaps to dance?"

She bit her lower lip. In truth she was still looking for Gaara. She was waiting for him because he'd said he'd be here for her tonight. She wasn't sure about this man. He looked nice enough though... and he was charming. A bit more so than her cousin... but... She didn't want to be rude.

"Of course," she murmured. And like her cousin he smiled kindly and offered her his arm. With a soft smile of her own she took it and allowed him to lead her out of the room.

ooo

Gaara grunted as he slid the long black duster over his arms and shoulders. It tattered at the bottom like someone had ripped the edging off. The collar was large and flared up around his neck; it also laced through with elaborate stitching of a deep yet bright red. The same stitching appeared on the edging of the sleeves near his wrists.

He took a quick glance in the mirror.

The shirt was tight about his upper form and opened deeply down the chest with a V slicing. It tucked into his leather pants with a belt of the same color. They were tight, hugging his form like a second skin. He wasn't sure how... but the tailor told him despite the tightness they would move when he needed to. Something he was thankful for. Clothes should be good looking to a degree, however, being comfortable was more important.

He reached down and slid his boots on. After which he checked his eye makeup one more time. If it was a demon they wanted it was a demon they'd get. He was only doing this for Hinata. Otherwise he'd be up in his room all night with a hot cup of coffee and a book about Steve Vai.

Happy with his look he reached up and teased his hair slightly. It looked more jagged tonight since he'd run gel through it. All the more to add to that demonic affect. He arched a brow, secretly hoping he didn't scare her.

There was another moment of thought before he was leaving the room and entering the hall. Now to find Hinata. As he predicted, people moved right out of his way and let him be. Some stared while others simply turned their gaze away from his heated pools.

Fucking morons.

His long search began. He went from room to room, eyes scanning intently. After a long while he began to wonder if Hinata was even at the party. She hadn't been in her room. He'd already checked there because the door had been left wide open. Had she gone back since she couldn't find him? The more he searched the more unnerved he became.

He was probably going to have ask someone.

His jaw clamped tightly together as this thought registered with him. He did not want to ask anyone anything. He didn't want to speak. Speaking was trivial and usually wasted by saying idiotic things. He supposed if he had to break down and approach someone it might as well be someone he could tolerate.

His eyes scanned the room he was currently in. As luck would have it, Sasuke Uchiha was leaning against the wall across the room. James Dean wannabe himself looking as bored as ever. And his pink haired girlfriend was no where in sight. Good. This meant he would talk to him without someone trying to pick at his ear about something.

Sakura was one of of his sister's friends. She never said anything to his face or his sister. But, he could tell by the look in her eyes, she was unsure of him. Not afraid maybe... but just as unsure as anyone else. He supposed that was a step up from hate.

"Uchiha," he addressed him quietly as he reached him.

Coal eyes looked up at him in a lazy fashion. He didn't seem too excited to see him. Nor did he seem irritated either. "Sabaku," was his equally deep reply.

It seemed hellos were rarely exchanged between two who understood one another so perfectly. Gaara didn't know if he would go so far as to say perfectly... but Sasuke had never approached him before. He'd never looked at him with eyes of disgust, fear or hate either though. Thus his reasoning behind asking him about Hinata.

"Have you seen my room mate around?"

Sasuke arched a brow, but made no other expression. His answer was far from what he wanted to hear. "Got a smoke?"

Gaara's lips drew a flat line even as he reached into one of his pockets. The box was pulled forth and shook slightly. The thin paper rolled item offered itself to Sasuke.

"Thanks," he muttered and placed the thing between his lips. He didn't light it though. "I saw her here a moment ago. She left with Hidan."

Gaara felt his blood run cold as he slid the box back into his coat. "Did I hear you right?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yup... "

He grit his teeth together. "Damnit," he muttered. He had to find her fast. This was not good.

Sasuke was arching a brow again. He seemed to read his thoughts perfectly when he spoke. "The rumors are true, aren't they?" It was obvious he meant Hidan and not Gaara.

Gaara nodded and ran a hand down his face. "I need to find her." He turned to go, but Sasuke's voice stopped him.

He moved away from the wall and stepped up next to him. He eyes were closed and cast down as his hands dug into his pants pockets. "His room number is G-55 this year. I'll track down Kakashi for you just in case. Alright?"

Gaara would have blinked in confusion, but it wasn't in him. Instead, all he did was stare at the raven haired man as if to say, 'why?'

He turned his head slightly, giving him a view of only one of his eyes. "I like Hinata. She doesn't judge others." He smirked slightly. "Go find her."

All he did was nod and trudge off in hurry towards the room Sasuke had told him of. Fear was still slicing through his system. Dread ran down his core as he began to outright run past people.

Hidan was like him in a lot of ways if one wanted to think on it. The only difference was he hid his darkness like a snake hides in it's hole. Gaara made sure everyone knew what he was while Hidan tried to appear to be the nice charming knight of old. He'd never worried about him much before. He'd always sensed a seeping evil from him. Even on the first day.

And then something happened last year.

A girl at this very same party spent the entire night with him. No one saw them leave but many commented on how cute a couple they made. A lot of girls wanted her position because Hidan was the guy to nab that year aside from himself and few others.

A few days had passed and nothing seemed wrong. Classes continued and people went about their business. Then the girl, the one who'd spent time with Hidan the night of the party, seemed more withdrawn. The only reason he noticed was due to passing her in the hall. She seemed so broken. It took a few more days but then a fleeting rumor began. Some said she'd been raped. Raped and left with marks few people should ever endure in their life.

Police came to the school and the incident was looked into. However, the girl refused to reveal anything. It went on for months and finally the case was simply dropped. She was an adult and if she didn't want help no one could help her.

Gaara knew.

He _knew _what that snake had done to her.

He never asked and he never gossiped. It wasn't like him. An no one seemed to be dropping Hidan's name because he was so... charming, so nice. No one could picture him doing it. Gaara did though. And now Hinata was with him.

Hinata was with him and he would just kill himself if anything happened to her.

He would murder Hidan.


	7. Chapter 7

**..Chapter Seven..**

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It had all been going so well at first. Hidan was being kind and attentive, talking to her as they'd taken the long stroll down the hallway and passed people. He'd commented on her dress and her hair. She'd laughed at him, hand over her mouth slightly as she did so. He'd told her a bit about himself; that he was in the grade above her and an aspiring artist. He painted and drew in hopes of one day graduating and becoming world renowned. She'd thought this was a lovely dream and she told him so.

She hadn't stuttered at all and didn't so much as argue when he placed his hand over her own while hers was looped through his arm. He'd seemed so charming and so kind. He didn't remind of her of Gaara, though he hadn't made her feel the same way the red head did.

She'd admitted he could be a distinct possibility on her tiny list of suitors. That is... until they entered a room with a closed door. Until he'd let her in and closed it behind him. Until he'd locked it and tossed aside a key to god only knows where.

She'd turned then, confused by his actions. She's been confused as to why the room was dark and no one was in it. He'd killed not only her confusion but her thoughts of his true intentions when he'd pounced on her, gripping her arms to the point of bruising her and forcefully slanted his mouth across hers.

At present she was crying out against his lips and trying to free herself from his grasp. She tried scream, she tried kicking him and none of it was working. Dread filled her and she wanted to cry. She was a soft woman by nature and this... beast in human skin was making her want noting more than Gaara by her side. She felt tears run down her cheeks and she pushed harder and yelling into his mouth for him to stop.

It wasn't until she bit down on his tongue that he ripped his mouth away from hers. She began to scream but he stopped her by cruelly covering her mouth. His eyes bore down on her as he growled.

"Stipid bitch. I was going to go easy on you." He smirked. "I guess you didn't know I enjoy pain. Your little attack did nothing but made me want you more." As if to emphasize his point he ground his hips against hers.

Hinata felt like she was going to be sick. Her eyes widened at him as he shoved her closer to the bed. She tried to fight him but he held her down, moving to lay his entire body over her. And then he was biting into her neck. She tried to wretch away from him. She even tried kicking him in his nards. All he did was moan into her neck. This was not how she wanted her first time to be. Not at all.

She wished she'd waited, stayed, until Gaara had come for her. As she tried to move a bit more she felt her cape rip. This only made her cry more. Cry because the kind woman who'd given to her had told her not to wreck it, to take care of it. And now she had no idea how bad the damage was or would be after this... monster had his fill of her.

"Don't worry," he breathed, "I'm not going to kill you. I'm just going to make you wish you were dead." And then he was tightly gripping her breast through the material of the gown.

She shook with fear, coughing against his hand as she lay there helplessly against his will. What could she do? She was too weak to push him off, he liked the pain when she fought him and even if she managed to get away from him she still had to find the key to the door and get out. She couldn't scream for help with his hand over her mouth.

She was done for.

Her fate was sealed.

And all she could think was, how could she face Gaara after this?

ooo

Gaara sprinted down the hall he scanned each door carefully and quickly. None of them bore the G or the number 55. He was getting irritated and angry. Fear was burning through him and all he wanted was to make sure she was safe. He allowed his mind to think about what Hidan was doing to her. How he was touching her. He briefly thought about him hurting her, beating her.

His mind ran red, his eyes looked like twin flames of fury. He was as good as dead if he touched her. If he so much as broke her skin with his teeth. All he could hear was her screams in his ears and it made him want to pull his hair out.

"Gaara?"

Someone called to him and he ignored it. Whoever it was was ran up next to him, meeting his pace.

"Gaara, what are you--" Kankurou immediately shut up when his brother turned his glare on him. He'd never in his whole life seen him so pissed, so blood lusting. The only thing that came close was when he tried to beat that student a year ago. And even then he didn't look like this. Like he was tainted with murderous rage. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but stopped as soon as Gaara did.

He looked up at the door as Gaara tried to open it. G-55. Who's room was this? He looked down at Gaara. He needed to calm him down. "Gaara... what are you doing?"

The red head wasn't replying. He was ignorant to everything around him as he cried out a name. "Hinata!" He hit the door a few more times and tried to open it. He was going to have to break it down.

As soon as Kankurou saw what he was going to do he reached for his arm. No sooner had that happened and his brother was turning him around and throwing him against a wall. Kankurou grunted as a pain sliced through his back. What the fuck was going on here?

Gaara continued to ignore him as he lifted a leg and hit the door. It creaked but didn't move. He did it again. And again. He did it until his foot felt like it was going to break. But he didn't stop until the door cracked and swung open under his pressure. It slammed against the wall with a loud bang and he was moving into the room.

ooo

Hinata turned as she heard her voice being called. Gaara! He'd come for her. Thank god.

The man above her glared at the door. "Damnit." He looked down at her. "You listen here and you listen good. You're going to pretend like you came in here of your own free will. That you wanted me. And if you so much as breath a word of anything else I will find you, I will hurt you and no one will be able to recognize the pile of flesh I plan to leave you in."

Hinata froze in fear as he said this. Did he really mean it? She felt more tears coming and he started to yell at her.

"Quit crying, you sniveling little bitch." He shook her and removed the hand from her mouth.

She wanted to scream but was frozen in place as he pulled his hand back with every intention of slapping her out of her fit of tears. She cringed and closed her eyes, waiting for the moment his hand connected with her face. And she waited... and waited... and waited. When nothing happened she opened one eye... and slowly another. She gasped at what she saw. "Gaara!"

The red head held the silver haired man's wrist in a death grip far and away from his body. There was a rage in his eyes like no other she'd seen before. It was like he'd fully allowed the beast to come out. All his passion, all his rage, all that he kept so contained within himself was right there in front of her eyes and bearing down on her attacker.

He suddenly looked over at her and she felt a jolt run through her system. He must have mistook it for fear because his eyes softened and he looked pained at having frightened her.

"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

She nodded lamely. She couldn't find her voice and she wouldn't lie to him. Not for the beast he had in his hand.

"Are you..." He fought for words... "Did he..." He felt his heart straining.

"No," she managed to get out. "Almost, but--Gaara!"

And then the rage was back. He was turning and throwing Hidan against a wall. "You piece of shit," he growled at him. "I knew you were a monster." And then he was hitting him, without remorse, into his stomach. He was hitting him for what he did to Hinata. He was hitting him for what he did to that girl last year. He was pulling him up by his hair and forcing him to stand as he turned his face in to a bloody mess for all the women he'd ever beaten.

Hidan laughed and managed to push him away, reaching up with one fist as he moved to return that blood lust. "You think you're any different from me? Eh?" The hit connected and he watched as Gaara reeled back. "You're the same. I see the way you walk around here. Like you're Satan's first born." He was hitting again. Both were going at it. Blocking hitting, punching. "You wanted her just as much as me. In just the same way. I just got to her first."

"Gaara!" Hinata cried out, tears in her eyes as she sat on the bed.

Gaara heard her voice, he heard her crying out to him. He had to do this for her. He wouldn't stop. He had to protect her. He could do nothing else. He came forward, dodging the next fist that came his way. He grabbed the wrist as it collided with air and turned. He lifted with all his might and threw the taller, heavier man over his shoulder. His back slammed into the ground. He didn't give him time to recover. Instead he was pulling him up by the front of his poet shirt.

He pulled him close to his face, just so he could catch his meaning as he stared into his dark eyes with flaming aqua pools. "You're right. I'm a demon." His lips twisted into a demented smirk. "Unlike you I don't hide in the shadows... waiting to pounce on my next meal. I fear no one. No one." He threw him against the wall, releasing him. "The difference between me and you?" He chuckled softly, cruelly as he edged close to him, one slow and agonizing step at a time. He slammed his palm up against the wall right next to his face as his bloodied features came in close to his own. "I'm not afraid of killing you."

Hinata felt a rush of fear shoot through her. No! She couldn't let him. If she did he... oh god. She began to scramble off the bed, her dress tangling under her legs as she tried to reach him.

As he drew his fist back, fully intent on smashing his nose up into his brain, forcing that bone to puncture and kill him someone screamed.

"Gaara!"

And he hesitated. He hesitated because it was her. Her voice. He stood there for a moment, fist inches away from his face. He had to... he would. He would take that final step in becoming what they wanted him to be.

He pulled his fist back once more time and came in quick. His heart still wasn't in it, he was still wavering... All he heard was Hinata's screaming voice as she ran to him. All he saw was red. And yet... Nothing happened. Just as he stopped again, someone grabbed his wrist. Just as he reconsidered his own stupidity and calmed down someone stopped him.

He looked over into piercing black eyes and took a step back.

Kakashi eyed him curiously. "You hesitated... Twice."

His own pools narrowed as he looked at the hand on his wrist. Kakashi dropped it in understanding and Gaara took another step back. He closed his eyes and turned towards Hinata. He paused as he stopped in front of her.

She looked up at him with shaking, pain filled eyes.

Those were eyes he never wanted to see from her. He shut his own. Now she knew. Now she had to understand why she couldn't pursue anything with him even if the thought had crossed her mind. He would only hurt her. Maybe not like Hidan... never like that. But he would. And it was on that day he dreaded those eyes once more. Eyes that would be showing that same fear and hate because it would be him, not Hidan who caused her such pain.

"Are you alright?" She asked him softly, afraid to touch him, to scare him.

His eyes flashed open. He wasn't sure what to say at first. "I am. You?"

She nodded and once more tears fell down her kind porcelain face. It made his heart quake with desperation, with pain and with need. He hated seeing her cry like this. He hated seeing her so broken.

"He's going to be all right," called Kakashi. "He's just out for the count. Probably passed out in fear." He sighed and stood. "You did a number on him, but it's going to come back as self defense. I'll make the call to the police. You two should head back to your room." He looked out the door, noting the crowd of eyes trying to find out what was going on. He muttered a curse and looked over at Hinata. "Did he..." The same question Gaara asked her lingered in the air.

"No," she shook her head. "He didn't. I've got a couple bruises, but, not much else."

He nodded. "Go on then. If the police need your report I'll tell them to go to your room."

Kankurou came in the room, grunting and rubbing his head. He looked at his brother. "Damn, you look like shit."

Gaara said nothing in response.

"Kankurou, you're an upper classman. Get everyone out of the hall and shut the party down. Tell them to go back to their rooms and stay there until we give the call." Kakashi was ordering him.

"Yeah, I have no clue what just happened, but alright, teach." He gave his brother one more final look and began top break up the crowd, barking out orders to all the students.

Gaara turned back to Hinata, pain in his eyes as he looked down at her. He watched her gaze back up at him. He reached down, slowly, hoping she didn't jolt away from him in fear and moved to touch her shoulder... where he cape had ripped. "It's torn.." he murmured.

She glanced over at the tear and then back up at him. "I know... " She wasn't happy about it. "She told me to take care of it. and now I've ruined it." Tears pricked at her eyes again.

Gaara didn't understand what she meant, but, he was going to fix it somehow. He leaned down, reaching an arm under her legs and another behind her back. He avoided the odd look he got from Kakashi as he picked her up. He felt soft hands wrap about his neck as she didn't object to him carrying her. He felt a warmth rush through him as she rested her head against his chest and slid her hands down when he settled into his embrace.

Students still weren't getting the picture and lingered at the door. As he passed through they moved out of the way of the door, all seeming to ignore Kankurou for a moment as Gaara walked on down the hall towards his room.

"Whoa..." Sakura suddenly said as she came up next to Sasuke. "I have no bloody clue what just happened... but seriously... did I just see and demon walking down the hall with an angel in his arms?" The whole idea seemed silly to her. But, there it was. She'd barely gotten and glimpse of Hinata and Gaara. It hadn't really looked like them. And the aura emanating off the red head just made her see something else entirely. Imagination did that to people with creative thoughts.

"You could say that," he muttered finally lighting his smoke. He ignored her glare and sudden hassling of the smoke between his lips, saying stuff about no smoking in school. Heh... like he cared. No, he was too busy watching the duo drift on around the corner.


	8. Chapter 8

**..Chapter Eight..**

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Hinata curled into his embrace as Gaara stepped up the short flight of stairs to their room. He didn't let go or even indicate for an instant she was a bother in his arms. She loved the feeling of him doing this. Though she wouldn't admit it she was loath to let him release her. She knew that time was coming soon.

The whole night had started out just perfectly. She'd met her cousin, had a few drinks and enjoyed the conversation with Tenten. Then that horrible man had tricked her into going with him. She felt stupid and horrified all at once. She wondered emotionally if she could recover. He hadn't done anything to her sexually that did permanent... well... damage... but the emotional stress Hidan had put on her mind tonight would have been enough to scar her for life a few days ago. It would have been enough to have her running home in fear and probably never wish to come out of her room again.

What was so different?

The answer was obvious. The man carrying her into the room was the reason why it was all so different. She'd be torn a first, feeling... sick and disgusted with herself. Tainted. Like most rape victims in the making she'd began to blame herself... feeling as though she could have somehow prevented it... like she was dirty. He didn't make her feel that way. He came in, literally saved the day, and tenderly took her in his arms to bring her to their haven.

The nagging feeling still edged around her system. Was he upset with her?

Had she had any idea Hidan was that sort of man she would have turned tail and found her nearest friend in defense. She hadn't had a clue though. And now there might be a distinct possibility that the man carrying her into her room might not want anything to do with her romantically because... she was broken?

She sank into the mattress where he laid her and looked up at him. His eyes were such a mix of emotions. She could read lingering rage there. There was still his passion. The heated beast he relentlessly contained. She saw that now. Gaara was not the evil bastard everyone made him out to be. He was misunderstood and full of many things that made him seem just barely on the edge of losing himself all the time.

She'd looked the beast in the eyes and wasn't afraid.

"Do you..." He began with uncertainty in is voice; something new to him. "Do you need help..." He motioned to her dress with a quick wave of his hand.

She blinked a few times at him, trying to understand what he was not saying. She looked down at her gown and back up at him. His eyes were confused in an embarrassed sort of fashion. How could he be embarrassed? She once more looked at herself and then him again. She understood and it made her blush slightly. He wanted to know if she needed help undressing. Of course.

She shook her head.

He nodded, looking relieved for a moment and turned to leave the room.

"Wait!" She cried.

He stopped and slowly turned back to her.

"Um..." She bit her lip. "Will you..." Think, Hinata, think, she told herself. She didn't know what she wanted him to do, but she didn't want him anywhere away from her. "Could you just stay there a moment... and ah..." She bit her lip again. "J-ust turn your b-back while I c-change?"

His eyes widened a moment and he looked at like she'd just told him something absolutely out of this world. He imagined it looked funny on his normally stoic features and so he school it away. He was quick to turn around and just stand there facing the door.

Hinata got up and reached behind her back. She maneuvered her hand upward and grabbed at the zipper. Normally such a feat would require the help of someone. Normally. But Hinata was and always would be just a little too flexible for her own good. She tugged it down and began to let the material slide down her soft skin.

Gaara closed his eyes tightly. He dug his hands into his pockets and curled them into tight fists; as if such an action would prevent him from turning around and doing something he shouldn't all considering the night's events. Why did she want him to stay in here anyway? Was it a form of torture?

Moments later Hinata had garbed herself in a large T shirt and underwear. It was one of the few items of her former wardrobe she hadn't thrown away. She looked up at Gaara and noted the way he body looked alert and tensed. Like he was ready for another scuff with Hidan. She blinked at his back. What was making him do that?

"Gaara, you can turn around now."

He took in a deep breath, exhaled and then turned.

T shirt and... probably panties.. ok... not too bad. He could handle this. "Do you need anything else?"

She nodded. "Will you..." Oh, this wasn't going to be easy. It was platonic and she just... needed him. There was nothing wrong with it. At all. "Will you sleep with me tonight?"

Gaara thought he was going to drop right there. She what? Huh? He really did blink at her. Several times. His lips slightly parted and he felt... oh hell no! He was not blushing! It was not happening. Why did she have to ask him such a thing? Even after all that happened tonight?

"Hinata?" He questioned.

Her face turned into a shocking flame red and her mouth widened. "Oh! N-no! I d-didn't mean l-like t-that!" She covered her eyes with one hand. Oh, gods, what must he think of her now? The last thing on her mind after a night like this one was sex. All she wanted from him was well... comfort. She didn't want to sleep alone...

He breathed a sigh of relief when he knew what she meant. It didn't make him feel any less edgy about the option... but it was much better than what he'd assumed she'd asked. "Let me go change." He quickly left the room before he said, or implied anything as stupid ever again.

Hinata separated two of the fingers over her eyes and peered at the door. Ok, he was gone. To go change. That made sense... She could handle a few moments by herself in the dark room. She hugged her arms around her body and turned to look at the bed. She'd just lay down until he came back.

The covers were pulled back and she slowly slid into the softness of her mattress. She scooted close to the other side and grabbed a hold of her pillow. She hit it a few times to get it just how she wanted it and then snuggled down beneath the sheets. Her eyes closed and her lips parted. As she waited her mind began to drift.

Her body shook a moment as her thoughts drifted to Hidan... what he'd done to her. How his hands had hurt her. She bit her lip and gripped the sheets in her hands. His voice permeated her thoughts, tearing and mashing her emotions into a fit of fear. She could feel his sickening breath on her neck and his cruel hands on her body. She could still feel his hard form pressed against hers and a jolt ran through her. It wasn't good at all. It horrified her.

She cried out and thrashed as she felt hands on her, holding her down and whispering softly in her ear. She felt a hard body against her own, gently caressing her face and whispering for her to calm down. She cried out again, feeling tears prick her eyes. It felt so good and yet it all hurt so badly at once. It was like the night was finally taking it's toll on her. She cried harder in her deep sleep and felt the same soft hands with a bare hint of callous rubbing away her sadness. Those hands, that voice, calmed her. She took a sharp breath inward and flashed her eyes open.

Pale violet met with cold arctic aqua green. She felt something crash through her and time stopped. She noticed his body was right on top of hers, every inch of him as close to her as he could between the thin layers of their clothing. She felt her legs against his; smooth and shaven. She felt his warm, unclothed chest pressing into her breasts. She felt... his hips settling against her own. She felt captured by his gaze. It was a rapture. A moment of heightened haze and glorious euphoria.

She felt his lips graze her own in what seemed like an accident. She felt his hands around her wrists and didn't mind at all. She didn't want to move. She didn't want to break the moment. She watched as his lids slowly lowered and opened one time; hinted red lashes caressing his cheeks like a lovers touch. His breath flowed over her face in erratic bursts. She briefly wondered if he was in the same state as her. It all seemed so surreal. It was like a dream and yet very vivid all at once.

No, this was real.

She'd already woken from her nightmare.

She felt his lips brush her own again and he moved slightly. She felt him begin to pull away, still holding her gaze as he broke the spell. No! No... she wanted to reach for him. She wanted to feel that again. She wanted to grab him lower his soft lips to her own. She wanted to kiss him and hold him tightly to her body. It was a new feeling she wasn't use to and it assailed her senses. She felt... bereft. Alone... cold.

She grabbed his wrist and sat up as he tried to inch away. She held his gaze again and wished her nerve was as strong as it had been hours ago when she first went to the party. What would it have been like to have danced with him? To have enjoyed the night with a man who treated her like a precious treasure? What would it have been like to steal a kiss in the middle of a darkened room under the dim lighting as they move together and forced out all other distractions?

He wasn't saying anything... but she could see him shaking. She could see his eyes wavering even thought his face never once betrayed him. She no longer saw the beast in his eyes. In it's place was a fear fill child who didn't know how to react to her hands.. her touch... Just moments ago he'd been so... comforting to her... and now he looked like he was on the edge of a mental break down.

They were both frozen in place.

Had he ever... loved someone? Had he ever been loved by someone besides his family? Really loved another person? Had he ever been with someone before? It seemed like an odd thought in her mind. She couldn't imagine him not of having had at least one experience in his life.

Her mind was taking a dangerous route and she wasn't sure how or what to do. On one hand she felt herself wanting more from him... needing to give him something. On the other.. she was still very scared. And if his shaking body at just her touch was any indication at all... he was just as scared of her. But why? He was such a strong... passionate, fearless individual.

"Gaara.." she whispered in the dark room.

His eyes seemed to flash and then ripple as he tried to contain the way his body felt on edge. He didn't know what to say to her. Hinata had touched him in the past. It had never bothered him. It had always comforted him... but... in this situation... he felt something new lace through him... desire... Desire and a kindness in her touch he'd never known from anyone before. It scared the hell out of him and he didn't know what to do. He couldn't respond to her. He couldn't... he felt his breath quicken and his insides shudder in unchecked emotions he wasn't use to.

Hatred he was use to. Kindness from his family he was use to. Soft touches or cruel glances he was use to. This fire he felt inside of him and her soft touch; a touch that ignited things in him he never thought about or wanted... It made him quake. It made him want to run from her. He'd said he didn't want to hurt her... he'd said he hadn't wanted to pursue a relationship with her if she wanted one...And until now?

He hadn't truly understood what feelings such a relationship drew from him.

At all.

"Gaara?"

He'd been distracted in his fear ridden thoughts and hadn't noticed her until the was right on top of him. She was whispering in his ear and trying to hold him. He closed his eyes tightly as another shudder ran through his body. He wanted to push her away because of his own stupid... ignorant fear... but he couldn't. He coudn't make himself want to stop her as she pulled him down into the mattress and pulling his strong frame against her small one.

After a while, a long while, of shaking and feeling... new to all of this, he reached for her. It was slow and wavering at first. But then, after a moment or two, her pulled her into his embrace as he had all those times before. He felt his body and her own shift into comfortable silence and he shut his eyes.

He could do this...

He shook again when he felt her neck against his lips, soft warm and unyielding. He knew what he could do... he just knew he couldn't. He wouldn't. Even if it wasn't his own... fears in regards to his own new emotions... he still didn't want to do anything to hurt her.

Instead he gripped her tighter, softening in her arms... and drifted into sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**..Chapter Nine..**

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A couple of days had passed by since that night with Hidan and Gaara. Hinata was still shook up about the incident; but, she was coming around and feeling better hour by hour, day by day. Gaara never commented on it. His presence was enough. She had been worried a bit the next day, but, he'd been nothing but his normal self. She could easily cope with all of it as long as she had him. And the best part of all was he hadn't stopped sleeping in the same bed with her. It became a routine for them. At the end of the day they'd do their homework, eat a meal together and then watch TV. Much of it was spent in silence. It didn't seem to bother him. How could it? They were both two very quiet people. Words were unneeded. Especially when they began to know each other well enough to figure what the other wanted on body language alone.

She'd never had that with anyone before. And she was sure he hadn't either. Not if his shaking was any indication from the first night he'd spent in her bed. It had confused her bit. She still had trouble wrapping her mind around the idea that he'd never had a lover. He was such a passionate man.

The police had shown up at their door the morning after. They asked her a few questions and then left. They told her she might need to appear in court to testify. It wouldn't be for a while if she had to though. Of this she was relieved. She wasn't ready to face that horrible man again. Not this soon. Even over the safety of a large room full of people, lawyers, police and a judge.

At the moment, while her mind was wandering, he hadn't noticed that Kakashi was trying to get her attention. She blinked and looked upward. "I'm sorry, Mr. Hatake." She frowned a little, embarrassed. She heard a few soft giggles in the class but ignored them. "What were you asking me?"

Kakashi sighed and then just smiled slightly. "It's alright, all considered." He was referring to that incident without actually drawing too much attention to her about the issue. "I was asking you to please stand up and sing from the paper in front of you."

Hinata blinked and her eyes widened. "S-sing?"

He nodded. "Yes, Hinata. Sing. This is a vocals class. Surely you knew you would have to sing at some point when you signed up for it."

She felt like an idiot. Of course she knew. She loved singing. She loved playing cello while she sang. It was one of those things on her 'list' for this year. To help her break out of her shell. She'd just... hadn't done it in front of so many people in a long time... The only consolation was being surrounded by friends. She glanced over as someone tapped her.

Sakura smiled. "You'll be fine. Go for it."

Hinata nodded, still slightly unsure. She picked up the sheet of paper with shaking hands and scanned over the notes. It didn't have words. All she'd have to do is sing the 'la la's'. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath inward. When she opened her mouth to sing it came out... small and soft. She wanted to... sing louder, but, her insides were shaking and she wasn't sure what to do.

She sighed and stopped halfway through.

Kakashi looked disheartened and questioning. Like he'd been expecting more. All he said was, "It's alright, Hinata. Just take a seat and we'll move onto the next person."

She nodded and did so. Her hand was brought up to her mouth and she bit her nails. She shouldn't have signed up for vocals class. It had been a bad idea from the start. No matter what _he_ had told her... she just couldn't do it. It was much easier just to hide behind the sounds of her electric cello. It was so easy to close her eyes, ignore the crowds and feel the music flow around her.

Class went on and on while Hinata thought about this. Person after person stood up and offered their voice. Some were not good, others were great and others still obviously needed work. Hinata couldn't help but wonder if she was the worst simply because she was the only one who seemed to have trouble preforming in front of the class. The final bell ring, signaling that it was time for her next class or maybe lunch. Funny how colleges such as this operated so much like a high school.

Hinata stood up and started to gather her things.

"Hinata?"

She looked up at her instructor. "Yes?"

"Could you stay behind for a moment? I'll write you a note if you're next teacher is a lout about lateness."

This must have to do with her voice. She looked sad and nodded. She placed her backpack down next to his desk and took a seat where he indicated. His chair back was facing her as he straddled the seat.

"Hinata... is something wrong? I know you had that incident a few days ago to deal with... but lately, despite that, you've seemed more open. It's why I asked you to sing today."

She shook her head. "No.. I just have a hard time... singing. It's not easy to preform in front of people."

He arched a brow. "That's not the way I saw it."

It was her turn to look confused. "Saw? Saw what?" He'd never seen her preform past today. What on earth was he talking about?

"Well, this is unusual... Huh..." He got up and went to his desk, rummaging around for something. "You have to know it's not easy to get into this school. Only the best two hundred students are selected from a world wide request in the form of many resumes."

She nodded, knowing this. It was why she'd worked so hard on the CD she'd sent. "I know. It's why I was so careful with the CD I sent. And the letter."

He nodded and came back to his seat, this time turning on a nearby TV and popping in a DVD. "The first letter you sent was quickly looked over and forgotten. However... this DVD showed us a much...well... more interesting student. Take a look. Although, I'm a bit shocked you've never heard about it."

Hinata blinked again. A DVD? This wasn't her CD he was playing? She looked over at the television as the video began. And then her heart dropped. It was her. At home. And happy. One short clip was of her singing in the bathroom with a comb for a microphone. Another was of her at the dinner with her dad singing with her friends and long time regulars. Still more was of her singing at her high school chorus. He felt tears pricking her eyes as a voice and a face shined over the video at the end. Her brother... her best friend...

_"Hey, this is Hinata's brother, Vaughn. I hope you liked the video. She's a great woman with a wonderful voice. I want to see her do great things with her talents and I know you guys can do that for her. She's my little sister and she means the world to me. I know she'll be a great edition to your school. She needs to get out of this small town and away from our crazy house hold." He laughed, his whole face lighting up. "Anyway, please pick her. Bye!"_

The screen went blank and the 'stop' symbol came up as Kakashi opened the DVD player and pulled out the disc. When he looked over at Hinata he was a little more than shocked and concerned to see her crying. "Hinata?"

She placed her hands in her face and just cried. She cried for him. She cried for her. She cried at the injustice of his life having been ended so soon. She cried because she blamed herself. Her father had walked around the house for weeks, barely glancing at his room. Her aunt couldn't seem to stop folding his clothes and putting them back in his drawers before digging them all back out again and washing them once more. Like she was too afraid to admit he really was gone.

She slumped over in her chair and just... let go. She should have been the one to go, not him. Not him. She'd been the one to drag him out to that concert late at night when he'd been grounded. She'd been the one who insisted they take that road, the short cut, home. If she'd only stayed home... if she'd only... oh god... he never would have been hit by the drunk driver. She wouldn't have woken up in the hospital a week and half later with tubes sticking out from every possible bend in her body wondering... where... where had her brother had gone to.

He was the reason she was here. Not her. He was. She wanted to run. She wanted to hide. She wanted to go home and just... go back to her monotonous life in the dinner, helping her dad and her aunt.

"Hinata?"

She felt a hand on her shoulder and slowly removed her hands from her tear stained, stuffy face. Kakashi looked at her like he'd done something wrong. He had no idea. None of them did. She'd been trying to get over it. She'd been trying hard not to blame herself like her aunt had told her. And for a while.. it had been working.

"Are you ok?"

She shook her head, still unable to stop the tears. He kindly offered her a handkerchief and she took it. She attempted to get her raging emotions under control. She could do this. She had to. She couldn't run. Not when he had worked so hard to make sure she got here. Right?

"Do you need me to call someone for you?"

She shook her head again. "No, I'm fine. For now."

He looked at her a while longer before nodding. "Alright... well... I've signed you up for a personal vocal coach. Her name is Anko and she's responsible for quite a few of the personal lessons that go on around here."

She nodded. That might help her out a bit.

He handed her a slip of paper. "Just make sure you aren't late. You're scheduled for seven pm every other day starting tonight."

She took the paper and got up. "Thank you."

"Hinata?"

"Yes?" She turned, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"If you ever need to talk about something... let me know. Ok? I'm a pretty decent listener when I choose to be." He smirked. "That is, between trying to get you slackers into shape."

She smiled a little, feeling somewhat better. "Thank you."

He nodded and watched go, shutting the door silently behind her. He didn't understand why the video had made her cry so suddenly. He wondered briefly if he should find out... He had a tendency to pry now and then. He shrugged and went about getting ready for his next class.

ooo

"Hinata, what did Kakashi say you, huh?" Sakura looked worriedly at her across the lunch table at her friend.

"He says I need a vocal coach. He signed me up with someone named... " She glanced at her slip of paper. "Ah, Anko. I have her tonight at seven." She laid the paper down and grabbed her fork, bent on finishing her lasagna. The stuff was pretty tasty, even for lunchroom food.

"You'll have her right after Gaara then." Temari smiled and took a sip of her cherry cola. "Be careful though. The guy has tendency to stay late."

Hinata arched a brow. "Careful? Of Gaara?"

"Oh yeah," she nodded and set her drink down. "He get very into his music. So much so he has to place a timer with a bell near his drum set. It signals him to stop. He still doesn't sometimes though." She looked to be irritated.

Hinata took a bite, still slightly confused. "Couldn't you just, ya know... tap him on the shoulder?"

Sasuke smirked. "You don't want to bother The Devil when he's playing."

Hinata almost frowned at the nickname, but realized the way Sasuke said it was really in humor alone. He wasn't trying to make fun of him. "Why not? How bad could it be?"

"How bad?" Naruto pipped up. "Man, you really don't know Gaara. Are you sure he's your room mate?"

"Shut up, drop out." Sasuke muttered.

"Make me, asshole."

Temari rolled her eyes as both boys began to argue. "Gaara get very into his music. I can't really explain it. You just have to see for yourself. Just so you know, the only person who risks getting hit at stopping him play is Kankurou; my younger brother."

"Sasuke! Let me have your jello!"

The ebony haired man looked at him like he was the lowest scum on earth. "No way, man. I haven't eaten all day. Get your own."

Naruto pouted. "I ate it already. Gimmie!" He tried reaching for it. Somewhere in the middle of their scuffle both men dropped the item under question all over Sakura's lap.

"Oh, shit...!" Sasuke said.

"Dude, run!" Naruto agreed.

Both men grabbed their stuff and fled the lunch room, pink haired, pissed off girl in black racing after them with intent of murder.

"Well..." Ino commented. "...that was interesting."

Hinata chuckled softly and looked back down at her slip of paper. Seven huh? Well, maybe she'd just go in early to see Gaara. Temari had said she needed to see it for herself. Was it really something you couldn't explain? Gaara's playing? She supposed she'd just have to find out.

"Say, Hinata," Ino began, "are you doing anything tonight?"

Hinata shook her head. "No, not really. Why?"

"Well, we don't have to be to classes until noon tomorrow because of some teacher... thing." She shrugged. "Us girls were wanting to have a sleep over. And we figured..."

"Since your place is the biggest," Temari went on, "you wouldn't mind us doing it there?"

"Oh.." Hinata blinked and set her fork down. It sounded like fun. Would Gaara mind? "I'll have to ask your brother first."

Temari nodded, sipping her drink again. "I figured as much. Just wanted to tell you ahead of time."

She smiled. "I'll ask. I make no promises though. Gaara does like his privacy."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

**AN**: I hope this story isn't going too fast. -pouts- I want some thing to happen soon. With the both of them. But, I want it to come more naturally, ya know? Next chapter should have some cute moments with the girls and Gaara trying to overall avoid them. I hope it;s longer too. But, much like my LCA story I really don't want this story to be longer than maybe 15 chapters.

Sorry if that upsets you, but, well, I have a sequal story I'm working on for a story that lasted 28 chapters. x,X I really physced about the second part. Two chapters already! Woot!

And yes, I know it was unexpected that Gaara came to the rescue and Hidan did that. But, I didn't want to too anything too typical. Dancing and making out would have bee expected. But, don't worry. They'll have much mushy stuff next chapter. Especially with the girls there. and maybe for shits and giggles I have Naruto and Sasuke show up. -cackles-

I'm also considering a prequel to this. One about Sasuke and Sakura. What chu think, eh?

**--Blade**


	10. Chapter 10

**..Chapter Ten..**

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**..**

Crystal lavender orbs scanned the hallways as her lithe form rounded another corner on the bottom level. No matter how many times she walked the checker floored halls she still couldn't get over how many rooms this place had. I mean, even with 200 hundred students paired in rooms that was still one-hundred rooms. And then there was all the classrooms, teacher offices, an auditorium and a slew of other special rooms she'd never been into. For instance, other than the auditorium the school had smaller staged rooms for the less than bigger events.

How had she managed to get around the first day?

She supposed it was only due to the simple floor plan of the building. Even if you'd never been here it didn't take a rocket scientist to understand the numbers on the doors and guess the basic ways to go.

Which is why, you can imagine, she was becoming so perplexed as to why she could not find the room with her private vocal coach. She'd even looked at the school map on the wall with no luck whatsoever. This was starting to be a pain if there ever was one.

"You lost?"

Hinata turned swiftly to see who was addressing her. They were talking to her right? It's not like there were any other lost people in the hall. In fact it was empty. She smiled as she realized it was Sai. "Yeah, kinda."

He smiled, his eyes closing slightly as he stepped towards her. "S'ok, beautiful. I'll help you find your way."

She blushed slightly. Sakura was right, if she weren't so shy he really would have given her a complex. "Thanks..."

"Where you off to?"

She glanced down at the instructions. "Hm... room H-00."

"No wonder you're lost," he said this with a small chuckle.

She arched a brow at him, curious.

He explained. "The room you're looking for is actually on the roof. You need me to take it to you?"

The roof, huh? Well damn... she'd have to go back all those flights of stairs. Inside she was groaning in a very unladylike manner. "Nah, I think I can manage the stairs one more go."

"Stairs?" Sai smirked slightly, like he knew a secret she didn't. "Why not take the elevator?"

Her eyes widened a bit. "There's actually one here?"

He laughed. "Yeah, it's not on the map because that," he pointed to said map on the wall, "is about as old as you and I."

"Oh," she said with a blush.

"C'mon." He motioned for her to follow. "I can show you to that at least, luv."

She suppressed another blush. Why did the guy insist on calling her cute pet names? But, Sakura did say he was a romantic. Apparently a flirt too.

"Here you go," he said as he hit the button. The wooden doors slid open.

To Hinata it'd looked like just another set of double doors. She supposed it added the anesthetics of the place. "Thanks again," she murmured, shifting her instrument over her shoulder.

"No problem, hun." He gave her another grin and a wave as the doors shut.

She smirked somewhat. It wasn't a common facial expression for her as it denoted confidence. But hey, who could blame her? Sai was adorable with all those comments. If he weren't such a playboy, if she wasn't such a shy girl and if she wasn't more interested in a certain red head she'd probably ask him out. But, he was a playboy, she _was_ shy and it seemed the only man who made her tummy flutter had red hair with a demon enough attitude to go with it.

She leaned her shoulder into the elevator wall as it sky rocketed upward. She found this odd simply because it was the only elevator in school and classes were out for the day. Did no one need to go anywhere?

She shrugged as the bell dinged, signaling she'd reached the rooftop. As the door opened her senses were assailed by the rich feeling of the wind on her face and the smells of the city. LA, to be exact. She could almost see the beach with her eyes closed just from the vapors of salt alone. She let another moment of serenity pass before heading towards the small building on the roof.

She'd come early. At least fifteen minutes in hopes of seeing just what Temari was referring to. Everyone said Gaara played like a demon. Was it true? And if so, why? Was it merely a description of how he played or how he looked when he played? Or was it both?

She pressed in pale bare digits into the door as she turned the knob. Between the first set of doors and the next was a small lobby. The doors before would swing open with little resistance. She heard a clear banging noise that sounded a lot like drums and paused a moment.

_Breathe, Hinata, breathe_ she told herself. It was just Gaara right? It's not like she had anything to worry about. She'd seen him at his very worst--defending her of all things. Certainly seeing him play drums could not compare to such a scene in the horrible man's room. Right? Right.

She pushed the door the rest of the way open and entered. At first she glanced about for the instructor and saw none. And then as that loud, penetrating, heart stopping sound hit her hears she just allowed her gaze to slowly drift upward. It seemed like time moved at milliseconds as her eyes moved up to the stage. Slowly... slowly... slowly... and then her eyes met with something she'd never quite dreamed of in all her wildest fantasies. It wasn't even that he was shirtless... or sweating... or ripped... Really, it wasn't, although Lord knew it did nothing for her sensibilities.

It was how he moved, it was the passion he just... exuded as he played. It was how utterly wrapped he was in the music he was beating out. He moved like a demon. Like a god. Like Satan himself. They'd all been right. And yet... so utterly wrong at the same time. He was beautiful. He was lovely. He was bated breaths and midnight heat. His music spoke so soundly of his own personal fire. anger and rage, that you just couldn't look away.

Did he see her? Had he noticed her at all?

Somehow she managed to glance around the room one more time. It was already after seven and there was still no instructor. She pursed her lips a bit and looked over at him. At the moment there was no other music playing besides his rapid beats on the drums. There were no others sounds but the echo of his out of control beast.

Now, Temari had said not to bother him while he played. She said it could end up badly for her. And really? Hinata didn't like the idea of stopping Gaara anyway, even if it was ten minutes past seven already. However... she smiled... Temari hadn't said a damn thing about joining him.

Had she?

Not thinking he would notice her anyway, Hinata walked towards the stage and stepped around him and the drum set. She found a patch chord on the ground and scanned to where it hooked up. Sure enough, the same wires that led to the mics around his drum set also led back to the chord on the stage. She grabbed a chair from nearby and sat down on the other side of the stage, not but about five feet away from him. She pulled on the long neck that made up her electric cello. She always smiled inside the first time anyone saw it. Because honestly? That's all the damn thing was. A cello neck and nothing more. Being electric it didn't need all the acoustically added weight.

She set it on her thigh and plugged it in. The normal 'bong' sound was made over the beat of the drums indicating she'd hooked up her instrument. She took in a deep breath and exhaled as she picked up her bow and held it a half inch above her strings. She got this way everytime. It was like the calm before the storm. The heat before the sun rose. Some said Hinata was just not the same person when she played her beloved cello. She didn't understand it herself. But this was her passion.

And so, with one more bated breath she began. It took her a few moments but she found herself playing easily in sync with his beat. They seemed to fight for the sound a while, as though trying to understand just who was the lead in this impromptu song. Hinata was smiling. It was exilerating, it was passionate, it was almost...

If one really wanted to describe it...? Not that she knew of course. But, really? It felt like they were making love through music. It was something Hinata had never experience before. It felt so intimate and natural all at once.

When she finally dared to open her eyes she found him staring at her, panting and beating away. She couldn't ignore that gaze and refused to stop. Was he daring her? No, that wasn't like Gaara. Gaara did not dare her.

Did he?

She couldn't help the smirk that laced her lips as she picked up speed on the notes. She almost laughed as his face seemed to falter. Like he couldn't believe she'd just done that to him. But, it was so much fun! Flirting with him through musical notes. Like they were speaking a secret language all their own that no one would ever understand.

It went on for a while and finally, with a half grin... wow? He grinned? Seriously? It almost had her loosing her frame of mind and placement of her fingers. She managed to contain it though and did not falter. She smiled back, grinning after a while. Especially when he let her take the lead and set his pace behind her. She laughed. She couldn't help it. No one would ever understand them.

Ever.

It was a thought that comforted her. Gaara and her never needed words to express how they felt. Words were so... simple... so easy to confuse and manipulate. But music? Music was something different. You could never mistake the heat of a note or the rise of one either. Each sound, when placed together, had their own unique meaning and it was always clear to her.

She held back and let him lead for while. and it went back and forth like that for while. She'd let him change the beat and lead the tune and then he'd turn right around and let her take over next. It was like a dance. And unplanned one, but a dance all the same.

And when she finally nodded she was done he nodded in return. They finished off the sound with a power chord and stopped. she was still grinning and staring at him. So much so she didn't notice the audience until they started to clap. She blinked and looked around the room. How many people were there? Oh dear... what had they started?

ooo

The damned timer had went off again just around when he normally stopped. He knew that meant it was about five minutes until seven. Five minutes until he had no choice but to stop. Would he? He didn't want to. This was one of the few places he could play and not be bothered. At least not until he was done or until his brother tried to stop him.

He grunted, angry at himself for thinking too much and closed his is eyes and he fell back into his lone sound. He didn't feel the need to plug in the back up music so his beat had something to play along to, to follow. He'd thought about it, but, for whatever reason hadn't wanted to today.

He felt the rush, the heat, the way his blood flowed though his system everytime another chord jumped up just beyond him. It made him want to go faster and catch up. It wasn't the same this time. It wasn't like the normal back up music playing over the amps. No, this was something more. This was like a duel. A fight for sound, for leadership of the notes.

It took him a moment to realize no one should have hooked up the music today. He hadn't.

He looked over to his right and the sight that assailed his senses was entirely new.

Gaara had seen many people play before. He'd seen many people play cello before. He'd even seen people play an electric cello. To say he was taken aback by the sight of little Hinata playing such a powerful instrument---electric at that---was an understatement. He felt his heart speed up and he couldn't help but meet her sound. He couldn't resist trying to push her buttons a little, if even only just through sound alone.

It was.... fun. Like a game of cat and mouse. And before he knew it, he was grinning. Him! Grinning. Grinning like a mad fool and staring at her over the power chords around him humming through the air.

What was so different about playing with her over anyone else? What made him feel like he was... understood? Music was a language. A series of emotional expressions only heard through sound. Did she know this was well as he did?

He found himself going back and forth with her. Sometimes she'd take the lead and sometimes he would. The transitions were impeccable, much to his surprise. Were they that in tune after only playing for a little while?

Amazing...

He saw the tired look in her eyes and nodded at her to stop. His arms were starting to ache anyway. She nodded back and they finished off the song. He held her gaze even until the last note and his lips couldn't help but twitch slightly as they stared at one another. He barely contained his jump when he heard clapping.

The fuck?

Aw hell... it seemed they had an audience. A rather large one at that. Were there any teachers about? Meh... he looked at the time on the wall. It seemed Anko had never shown up. If she had she's probably just turned around and left. If Hinata had lessons with her after him it meant Gaara would have to stop playing on time.

No matter.

He grabbed his sticks and cleaned himself up all the while ignoring the loud talking in the room from the students. His shirt was slid on and he glanced over at Hinata. It seemed like she'd just finished up around the same time as him. He quickly gandered over at the group of 'kids' and then back at her. They weren't paying attention thank god. He reached out as he stepped towards her and grabbed her hand. He felt her jump slightly and held in a smile as he 'drug' her through the crowd.

And as he expected they all parted like the Red Sea. They were staring at them. They always stared at him. But... this time they weren't just staring at him. No... they were staring at Hinata. Hinata and their joined hands.

And he didn't mind it one bit.

ooo

"Um, Gaara," Hinata whispered as they made their way down the hall. He didn't hear her. She stared at his back. "Gaara," she said a little louder this time. Finally, after calling his name twice with no success she tugged on the hand in hers. She hadn't gauged just how hard she'd pulled him because when she did, he hadn't expected it. He turned slightly and his chest bumped into hers. "Sorry," she whispered and she placed a hand on his chest, as if trying to steady him.

He caught her as well, his free hand latching around her upper arm as he looked down at her. He stared down into her cool lavender depths and found himself at a loss for words. Not that he needed to cover that fact up. He was always quiet.

Hinata stared up at him and her eyes---she couldn't help it---drifted to his lips for only a moment. Did she want to? Did she dare? Would it be right? After all they shared together would leaning up and catching his lips in a perfect kiss really... be too forward for her? Her breath caught and she looked up into his eyes once more.

Gaara held that gaze, even as it drifted to his lips. Did she want him to? Did he want to? Could he? Would it hurt? It was one simple kiss after all... No, kissing was never simple. Not with Hinata; the girl he was too fearful of hurting... too fearful of seeing those pained filled eyes on his... directed at him.

And yet the urge was so powerful.

He swallowed and leaned in, still unsure of exactly how to execute this heart crashing action. Would she hate him for it? Would he do it wrong? Would she laugh at him? Nervousness rushed his body and he felt a shiver run through him as his lips brushed her own.

Hinata inhaled sharply. So close... so close. He was going to do it. She was going to do it. He wanted to and so did she.

...

_Tonight out on the street out in the moonlight_

_And damn it this feels too right_

_It´s just like Déjà Vu_

_Me standin' here with you_

_So I´ll be holdin`my breath_

_Could this be the end?_

_Is it that moment when_

_I find the one that I spend forever with?_

_..._

It took one more hairsbreadth of a movement. One more centimeter of her closing that distance and she was slowly kissing him. For while it seemed like he had no idea as to what to do. And then she heard the sound of drumsticks hitting the hard tiled floor with a clang. At at the same time the hard case that held her cello was falling to. And she didn't care. She didn't give a damn...

because... because Gaara was kissing her.

It was electric, it was heaven, it was hell and utopia. It was every emotion she'd ever felt all boiled into one. She cried out softly as he wrapped his arms slowly at first... and then tightly about her body in a death grip. Like he was too afraid to let her go. Too afraid if he did she'd see him for what he really was.

_Oh, Gaara..._ she thought in her mind, _I do see you, just not the way you think_. He wasn't going to break her. He wasn't going to hurt her. Couldn't he see that?

She caressed his lips with her own, meeting him toe for toe, tongue against tongue. In the heat of their fury teeth nicked against each other once in a while. It was soft, warm, tender and yet demanding all at once. His kiss filled her senses and took her to cloud nine. His arms holding her like his life depended on it made her feel precious.

She was like an angel, his mind rattled. A fallen angel who'd held him under her spell with those damning eyes. She made him feel human. She made him want something more for them both. She made him feel weak and possessed by her perfect serenity. She calmed his soul and brought out the beast in the him at the same time. A tamed creature he couldn't call the same in her arms. He was subservient to her needs, her mouth.

He had to stop... and he didn't want to. He just couldn't. When this moment was over he might not get another.

"Ahem..."

He ignored it. Whoever it was would get the hint and leave them the hell alone.

"Gaara..."

He felt Hinata's fingers tangle in this his wet locks and pull him closer. He was definitely going to ignore it.

"Stop ignoring your sister!"

He blinked and opened his eyes. That jarred him out of his dream state. He pulled back slowly, feeling heady and looked down at Hinata. She was reaching up, touching her lips softly. His lips twitched as he looked down at her, not releasing her; loath to let her go. His cold aqua hues drifted up to Temari, eyes not so kind. "_What_?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

AN: Ok, so I was wrong. Mushy stuff next chapter! -sticks tongue out- 'Least you got a taste this time. And honestly I felt it was warranted. Thanks to all those who are reading/reviewing/favouriting/alerting/ect...


	11. Chapter 11

**..Chapter Eleven..**

**..**

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**..**

"_What?_"

Temari smiled warmly at her brother. Ok, his heated gaze didn't look the least bit welcoming. Honestly she should be a little more fearful. But, in truth, she just couldn't help but smile. She'd caught her brother making out. With Hinata Hyuuga. She'd been right. He did like her. A hell of a lot more than she'd first anticipated. Thankfully, for him, she wasn't going to bring it much attention.

She looked over at Hinata as the girl slowly, painfully from the looks of it, pulled herself away from Gaara. "Have you asked him yet, Hina?"

"Huh..?" The lavender eyed girl blinked at her. Ask? Ask about what? She was still in a daze, her fingers touching her lips. She could still taste Gaara there.

Temari's lips twitched as she crossed her arms over her chest. "About tonight."

"Oh..." she murmured softly, still not really recalling what the blond upper classman was talking about. She looked down at the floor, thinking. What was she asking her about? Tonight... "Oh!" Hinata exclaimed suddenly and looked over at Temari. "The sleep over, right?"

Temari nodded, hiding her grin.

Hinata looked over at Gaara. "Um... some friends wanted to know if we'd mind they hanging out at our place for the night. I said I didn't mind but I wanted to know how you felt?" She was really nervous about asking him. Her voice had shook slightly, but, she did manage to keep it from stuttering.

Gaara's lips twitched and he glanced over at Temari a moment. He reached down and grabbed his fallen drumsticks. As he was standing he reached for Hinata's cello case. He offered it to her. When she took it he just nodded, waited, and offered his hand. He restrained himself from blushing as she took his hand with a brilliant smile.

"Bye, Temari!" Hinata called as she walked off with him.

All the tall blond could do was smirk their retreating figures. She still had a lot to do then. And it was just past eight o'clock. If the group wanted to have any amount of fun she'd have to hurry; that and avoid the boys. Yeah right.

As she turned and headed out to find the girls the thought of avoiding Naruto, Sasuke and possibly Sai seemed all too impossible...

ooo

"Dumbass, give me the controller."

"Hn..." Sasuke dodged his lunge for the black corded video game controller. "Fuck you, it's my turn, dropout."

Naruto growled with a smirk and pounced on him.

For a moment Sasuke's eyes widened as he tried avoid the collision a little too late. Naruto hit his chest and grabbed onto him like a life grip. He grunted and hit the floor up against the side of the bed in their room with an 'oof'. "Get off of me, asshat!" He was pushing on him, pulling on his shirt in any attempt to just get him off of him.

"Not until you give me the controller!"

"Dude, you're messing up my hair!"

Naruto snickered. "Oh? Reeeeaaaaallllyyy?" And then he reached up, trying to mess it up more.

Sasuke tried to smack his hands away. "I swear, man, if even one strand is out of pla...ce." He blinked up at the hallway leading to their bedroom door.

Sakura blinked back and then looked at the position they were in.

Sasuke looked down and realized Naruto was between his legs, one hand tangled in his hair and the other around his waist... halfway up the back of his shirt. Oh, hell. If it weren't embarrassing enough... He put on his best irritated look and hazarded a gaze up at her.

She smirked, arms crossed over her chest as she leaned her frame against the end of short hallway leading into their room. Her head rested at a slant on the same wall. She arched a brow at them.

"Eh..." Sasuke began..."I ah... This is _so_ not what it looks like.." He growled and hit Naruto on the head as he tried to make it worse by snuggling into him.

"Aww..." Naruto pouted, trying to make it _a lot_ worse. "...I thought you loved me."

"Like a brother!" He was pushing again.

Naruto snickered. Really, he was just trying to get on his nerves. However, few things prepared him for the sentence he heard come out of Sakura's mouth next.

"You know," she drawled with a slight smirk, "I've always wanted to have a threesome."

And then the room went dead silent....

...

..

.

Sakura just chuckled and turned around, walking out. "See you at the sleepover tonight..._boys._ Hinata's place."

There was still silence in the room. A moment or two passed by. A faucet dripped from in the bathroom. A clock ticked on the wall. Even a beep of an alarm was heard on a watch in the far corner.

"Dude..." Naruto began.

Sasuke was silent.

"Sakura is..."

"Hn..?" He managed to get out.

"Kinda kinky..."

Sasuke took this opportunity of stunned silence to shove his best friend off of him. "Yeah, well, I'm not boning you."

Naruto frowned and then glared. "Oh yeah? Well I wasn't going to ask anyway!"

"Good," he snorted.

Silence.

"Hey... Sasuke..."

"...What?"

"You're thinking about it aren't you?"

The distinct sound of a controller hitting a wall was heard from the outside. Followed by... "Ha! Ha! Pervert!"

ooo

Temari, Ino and Sakura rounded the hallway, all talking and laughing as they neared the elevator. Several bags were in their arms and a box or two. All three were dressed in simply pj's. Well, Ino and Temari were. Sakura was never simple in her night wear. Tight little boy shorts hugged her butt and thighs as it rode low on her waist. The top matched the colors of pink and black. It was spaghetti strapped with the words 'force of nature' blazed on the front in pink.

"Oh, by the way, I invited the boys," Sakura winked.

Temari's lips twitched. "Which ones?"

Ino laughed. "Who do you think? Sasuke, Naruto and most likely Sai."

Sakura's brows arched slightly.

Ino grinned with surprise. "You invited someone else?" Sakura tried to look innocent. "You did! Who? How many?"

Temari frowned. Sakura was, at times, known for being a bit of a fire starter. She never really intended to... but... Temari did not want a large party going on in her brother's room. He was nice enough to have agree to it in the first place. Taking advantage of that, even by accident, would not be cool.

"Oh, only one other guy."

"Who?" Ino asked again. She could be so impatient.

"Shikamaru Nara."

Temari glared at her. "You didn't!" She did not get along with Nara at all. He was a pain in the ass and a chauvinist. Ok, maybe she was being a little too hard. He wasn't really a chauvinist. Most times he just tried to be annoyingly chivalrous. She just didn't get along with him at all! Temari was very much her own woman. And she didn't need some guy opening doors for her or fighting her battles. Anytime she got in an argument with a guy over something he was just... there... annoying the shit out of her like he was her bloody protector.

Sakura smirked. "I did."

Ino was smiling as she tried to adjust the packages in her arms. "Oh, he's not that bad, 'Mari. He's decently handsome and smart."

"He's lazy, he complains a lot and he's always butting his nose in my business." She frowned and pushed the button for the elevator. "I don't need some bonehead to protect me. I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. Whether its with words or not."

Sakura sighed as they stepped into the cramped space. She leaned into the wall after pushing the button to got up.

"Well," Ino began, "this deserves a change in subject. One of us got liquor right?"

Sakura nodded with a cute smile. "I got the hard stuff. Sasuke and Naruto are getting the beer."

Ino nodded. "I got some vodka and things to mix in with the drinks. You get some shot glasses, Temari?"

"Yeah," she smiled slightly, trying to get the image of Nara out of her head. "And..." She smirked. "I've got a fun game for tonight."

"Devious," both Sakura and Ino said at once.. earning themselves a bout of laughter in the elevator.

"What's the game?" Ino asked, peering into one of the bags Temari had. She laughed as the older woman shooed her away. "Don't be all sneaky on us now. Spill."

Temari shrugged. "Nothing too abnormal. I was thinking some spin the bottle and truth or dare."

Sakura wrinkled her nose. "That won't be any fun." She shuffled her bags in her arms as they walked out of the elevator.

"Sure it will," Temari smirked as she picked up her things and followed after the two girls. "Because, we're going to play it totally wasted."

"Man, if you keep this up, 'Mari I won't be able to go to classes tomorrow." Ino mock pouted.

Temari snorted. "We don't have to be in class until noon. If you can't get your premadonna ass outah bed before then you've got serious issues."

Sakura laughed in front of them.

Ino stuck her tongue out at Temari. "Yeah, well, what about Hina? I don't think she'll want to participate... " Her brow furrowed as they got closer to the short set of stairs.

"Don't worry about her. She'll have fun. No one's going to make her do anything she doesn't want to. Especially with my brother around." Temari stopped behind Sakura as she knocked on the door at the top of the stairs.

Ino arched a brow. "Gaara?"

She nodded.

"Have they been getting closer?" It's not like Ino hadn't noticed. Everyone who was anyone knew by now that Gaara had carried Hinata out of Hidan's room. And everyone knew it had been Gaara who'd smashed the guy's face in for hurting Hinata. Ino didn't blame him. If she'd had half a chance at the guy she'd of done more than mess his face up.

"Seems that way." Temari smiled. "I'm happy for him."

"Hm..."

"Ino?" Temari asked.

Ino shrugged. "No offense.. I mean I know he's your brother and everything. But.. Gaara? It's hard to imagine him being... cuddly with anyone."

The blond woman's lips turned into a knowing smirk. "Yeah, well," she whispered low, "you missed them making out in the hallways earlier tonight."

"No way!"

Temari nodded. "Mhm..." However, despite how she had seen her brother treat the ebony haired woman... she was still worried. Her brother had a lot of preconceived ideas about himself. And she was worried.. that even if Hinata managed to breech his cold exterior... he'd still withdraw from her at some point. And she was waiting for it. She was afraid for not only him... but for Hinata. His own fear of the beast within... well, it might not be enough for Hinata to overcome..

Ino arched a brow. "What?" Temari looked worried.

She faked a smile. "Nothing. I'm good." Just then the door opened to reveal a smiling Hinata and all three women walked in with their arms full of goodies.

ooo

Sakura went about setting everything up and turning on the music. Ino organized the drinks when the guys came in. Temari roped Shikamaru into popping the tops on a few bottles. Overall everyone was having a good time it seemed. Well, everyone accept for Gaara.

The red head just sorta stood in a corner or the room with a bottle in his hand, trying hard not the shatter the container under the pressure of his fingers. It's not even that he really hated everyone being in here. He'd told Hinata it was fine. What was driving him insane was the fact there were people here at all. Gaara hated crowds. He hated too many voices talking at once. All he wanted to do was go into his room and go to bed with a set of ear plugs or buds.

He inhaled deeply and tried counting down from ten.

The room wasn't too small and there really weren't too many people. He just felt like his senses were on fire and didn't have a clue as to what to do about it. In high school and even in college he'd tolerated the crowds with music. He just shut them out by concentrating on the sound coming from his headphones. His teachers never said too much about it because they knew how he could be. He'd at least taken the time to explain it to them for his own personal grip on sanity... however loose it was.

Here in school he just took routes that were... longer... but allowed for him to avoid too many people. And the party he tried to attend with Hinata? He supposed he'd been too concerned for her to worry about his own instabilities. He sighed an closed his eyes. He felt a hand on his wrist and they flashed open immediately.

Hinata...

She smiled at him, rubbing his arm gently. "Are you alright?"

He didn't want to speak. His cool aqua hues just stared at her as he tried to calm the rapid beating of his own heart.

She frowned and leaned in close to him. "It's ok, Gaara..." She was whispering.

For a moment he felt soothed. The raging torment inside of him began to slow down... He closed his eyes and exhaled.

"Do you want some fresh air?"

He nodded and let her lead him towards the sliding glass doors. It wasn't an quieter out here... but all the chaos was a safe distance below them, at the bottom of the seven story drop. The buzz of the sirens and hustle of the crowds hazed to a dull mixed hum of serene insanity.

"It's nice..." Hinata mused as she looked down at the people and cars milling about.

"It is," he agreed because he didn't know what else to say. He was once more reminded of just how comforted and off kilter at the same time he was by her presence. She was lovely, she was quiet, she had eyes that reminded him of an angel in waiting. He instantly regretted not getting the chance to dance with her at the party.

And yet... at the same time he knew she was far too good for him. She deserved someone who would shower her with soft smiled and kind words. Someone who would treat her like the treasure she was. Someone... who would never risk loosing themselves in a bout of violence and hurting her because of some... bloody mess of emotions threatening to burst at the seam at a moment's notice.

He glanced over at her out of the corner of his eyes, noticing the way the moonlight glowed a halo of white around her head. Her hair seemed to shine in the reflection. He found himself wanted to reach out and touch it. He found himself wanting her like the fish wants to fly. Like the grass pleads for the rain in a drought. Like the moon wanted the sun, simpering in it's mere reflection of glorious light. He didn't fancy himself a poet... but for Hinata he felt like a playright.

"Do you ever miss your family?" She asked softly, still looking out over the city.

"Not really," he replied evenly. "My siblings are here and my father is more concerned with his business than us."

"Ah.." she nodded.

He couldn't help but ask, "And you? Do you miss your family?"

She smiled sadly and looked downward, idly picking at the sleeve of her shirt. "I do..."

He nodded, assuming she didn't want to talk about it. He could respect that. There were many parts, sides of himself he didn't want to share with others.

"Have you ever lost anyone?"

He blinked a moment and then looked over at her, a soft breeze tussling his erratic strands. Lost someone? Hm.. The only person he'd ever lost was his mother. He'd never know her. "My mother."

"How old were you?"

He smirked slightly as she held his eyes with her own. Did she have any idea the affect she had on him? The way she held him in her soft grasp? She could most likely ask him for the world and he'd do the best he could to accommodate her. "I never knew her well... It happened when I was born." He turned to look back at the nightlife. "Sometimes I think my father blames me for her death."

Hinata looked horrified. "That's terrible..."

He shrugged and took a sip of his beer. "I've never known anything different."

"Still..."

He sighed, not really wanting to get into it. He didn't want anyone's pity, least of all hers. "Have you ever lost anyone?"

Her lips pursed a bit and she kept her gaze downward. He figured she didn't want to speak on it.

"You don't have to--"

"No," she smiled, "it's alright. I think I'm ready to now. I need to."

He nodded, not sure what to say. He didn't mind being burdened with her heartache.

She sighed as another brush of wind teased her black strands. "I had a brother. He was a few years older than me. And he was going to leave for college. We did everything together." She smiled. "He was always telling me to be less conservative and have more fun. To not worry about what anyone thought and just be myself."

Gaara found himself smiling slightly at her story. He could see himself telling her much the same thing.

"The day before he left for college my dad and him got into an argument over me."

He arched a questioning brow and took another sip of the beer. She seemed to catch this and explained.

"I wanted to go to school here. In LA... but my father was against it because the city can be pretty dangerous. It was my dream... it still is. And Vaughn wanted to see that happen. My father..." she sighed, "he can be very protective of me."

He just let her go on, listening as he told the story.

"Well... that night I had tickets to see Flogging Molly, my brother's favorite band. It took me weeks to get those tickets." She grinned. "I wasn't going to let them go to waste. So, I got him to sneak out with me and go to the concert." She was chuckling now. "We even pushed the car out of the driveway and halfway down the block so it wouldn't wake up our parents."

No matter how amusing it looked in his mind Gaara just couldn't seem to picture little Hinata pushing a beater down the road to avoid waking up her parents. He found his lips twitching upward.

And then her face turned sad. Gaara found this disheartening, but still didn't comment.

"On the way home..." she whispered, "we were singing and laughing in the car." Hinata felt everything around her become harsher. She could hear the screech of wheels in her mind. She could see the headlights again. She choked down a sob and forced herself to go on. "I... I told him to take a short cut. We barely had time to see the headlights from the other driver. He rode right through the stop sign." She felt a tear start to fall, but, persevered. "He was drunk and never hit the breaks when he slammed into my brother's side of the car." She placed a hand over her mouth and shut her eyes and the wetness trailed down her cheeks.

"When I woke up at the hospital..." She felt herself trail off and muscular arms wrapped about her, holding her in a tender embrace. She found her face in his chest and his large hand soothingly running down her head. His other clung to her. He didn't say anything and he didn't need to to. So, she just stood there, comforted by his embrace and cried.

"It was my fault," She choked out against his chest. "I shouldn't have..." She sobbed. "I shouldn't have made him go out. He went out for me."

He held her tighter, resting his chin on top of her head and she closed his eyes. "It's not." He stated.

"But..."

"You weren't the drunk driver. It's not your fault."

"Gaara.."

"Quit blaming yourself. He'd hate to see you like this."....a pause. "...I do."

She let out a long sigh and nodded. She wasn't quite sure if she agreed with him completely... but for now the sensation of being held in his arms, him telling her she was alright and not in the wrong... it was enough for her senses to feel at ease...

And she had to ask herself...

...Am I in love?


	12. Chapter 12

**..Chapter Twelve..**

**..**

**.**

**..**

Moments later the couple were entering the dorm room. All of their friends were scattered about talking, drinking or just listening to the music as it wafted by their ears. Hinata hesitantly looked over at Gaara, trying to gauge his emotions. Was he ok to come back inside? Had it been a bad idea to allow her friends in here to begin with? He still didn't seem ok... she smiled faintly and reached for his hand. At first she felt him tense, almost jumping at her initiative. But then... he relaxed and intertwined his fingers with her own. She'd taken a bold move... but she didn't care. She could sense his ease now. She was glad. Glad that she could do that much for him.

"Hinata!"

The ebony haired woman turned her attention to the blond girl calling her name. "Yes?"

Temari smiled brightly, obviously buzzed. "Feel like a game?"

Hinata's brow rose. "A game? What kind of game?"

Temari grinned. "Well..."

Sakura pipped up suddenly. She almost made Hinata jump at her sudden appearance. Just where had the girl come from?

"Truth or dare!" she giggled, drunk as well.

Hinata sighed, smiling slightly at the antics of her friends. She felt her gut turn in nervousness. It was not a game she'd played since she was a child. A game as easily confused with innocent tints of joy or laden with subtle brushes of more adult allure. Hinata was an adult... but she really wasn't sure about this. She felt Gaara's grip tighten on her hand and looked up at him.

"You don't have to play," he murmured.

She felt comforted by that. His voice gave her courage. She wrinkled her nose at him playfully. "I know. I think I should though. You're always telling me to come out of my shell."

He sighed. "Very well then. I guess I have no choice but to play. If only to keep and eye on you..."

"Great!" Temari clapped her hands together. She turned around, her and Sakura gathered everyone in the room towards the living area.

Hinata took a seat next to Gaara on the couch and arched a brow as the blonde woman pulled out two bottles. One was a full bottle of Jack Daniels and the other was empty. There there was the shot glass next to her hip on the floor. Just as Hinata was going to ask about this new installment a knock sounded at her door. Her brow furrowed and her lips pursed. Who was calling on her at this ungodly hour?

She started to move to get up but Naruto was already pouncing towards the door. When he opened it it was Neji's voice she heard. "Are you trying to corrupt my baby cousin, blondie?"

Naruto pouted as he stood in front of the man. "The hell is that suppose to mean?" His voice sounded slurred.

Hinata watched as Neji pushed him aside. After him walked in Tenten. She smiled over at Hinata, waving slightly. Hinata waved back a bit, slightly unsure as she watched Naruto close the door behind them both.

Neji walked towards the group in the living room, brown haired goddess trailing behind him while Naruto resumed his former seat. Dark brows rose at the scene before him. "Spin the bottle? At your age?" There was a little humor in his voice.

Ino grinned. "No, not just spin the bottle. It's a combination of games."

"Yep," Sakura offered, "One person spins the bottle. Whoever it lands on has to ask the person who spun a truth or dare. If the person who spun refuses at any point they have to take a shot." She pointed to the bottle of Jack Daniels.

Neji turned his gaze to Hinata. "And you're going to play this?" A single brow rose this time.

Hinata blushed slightly. "It sounded fun. I need more of that don't I?"

Neji watched her curiously. His eyes seemed almost impassive as his eyes trailed to Gaara and their linked hands. His lips pursed slightly and his eyes narrowed on Gaara. Which, was odd when one thought about it. No one ever looked at Gaara like that.

Gaara simply stared back. For a long while the heat of the room seemed to go up as both men appeared to size one another up. People shifted in their seats or tried to fix their eyes on anything but the two boys.

It wasn't until Tenten sighed and tugged Neji into a free space on the floor that flow of the room went back to normal.

Hinata blinked a few times. What had that been about anyway?

"You playing then?" Sasuke asked the two new arrivals.

Tenten grinned. "Of course."

Neji simply grunted.

Temari rolled her eyes. "Boys..." was her only mutter.

"Who goes first?" Shikamaru asked unceremoniously. If anything he sounded rather bored.

Temari set the empty bottle on it's side in the center of the group. "I will since it was my idea."

Shikamaru snickered. "Noble of you."

"Shut up, crybaby," she muttered, satisfied when he rolled his eyes at her. She reached for the bottle and spun it. The thing turned quickly. Faster, faster, faster... and then it began to slow. When it landed it stopped on Hinata.

The lavender eyed woman blinked as everyone in the group looked to her. Even her cousin. She gulped and tried to think of something for Temari. The only slightly unfortunate thing about this was she was next to spin after she thought up something to ask. "Truth or dare?" She spoke to Temari.

"Hm..." The blond pondered. "Truth."

"Heh... now I know you're playing it safe."

Temari scowled. "Shut up, lazy-ass." Her eyes glared daggers at Shikamaru.

"Hm..." Hinata pondered, placing both hands on her chin as her elbows leaned on her knees.

"Think of something good, Hina," Ino cheered.

"Really good," purred Sakura.

"Who's side are you on anyway?" Temari crossed her arms over her chest.

Sakura laughed. "Oh come on. You're the one who played it safe with 'truth'. You can't expect us not to egg her on to ask a good question."

Temari smirked but said no more as her eyes darted to Hinata while she pondered.

Hinata bit her lower lip as her mind raced. Surely this couldn't be that hard. It was a simple question. She knew the blond well enough but not too much. She didn't wish to pry too hard into her past... but, she didn't want to look weak for asking something stupid in front of her friends. She was always doing that too. Acting weak and kind. Of course they would expect her to ask something of the same level.

This unnerved her a bit. No one had done anything to irritate her. No, she was becoming irritated with herself. Summoning her strength she asked, "Truth?" A soft smiled graced her lips. "Have you ever had a sexual thought about Shikamaru?" There. That wasn't so bad. It wasn't too personal and it was enough to make everyone laugh around her accept Gaara. Even Neji's lips twitched slightly.

Temari flushed slightly and avoided the ebony haired man's eyes who sat next to her. She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes," she muttered tightly.

Shikamaru smirked slightly but said no more as others in the room snickered. He turned to Hinata. "You're turn."

Hinata nodded with a nervous smile and reached for the bottle. She turned it sharply and watched it spin quickly in the center of the group. All eyes seemed locked on it, waiting to see what new tortures could be afflicted on the next victim. When it did stop, it was on Naruto.

The blond grinned happily.

Hinata bit her lower lip nervously as she prayed he'd have some sense of pity on her.

"Truth or dare, Hinata?"

She pondered this as well. If she picked truth everyone would expect that. If she picked dare... well... it'd be risky but perhaps fun. "Dare," she stated with confidence.

Naruto grinned wider. "That's a girl." And then he looked to be thinking. One finger tapped his chin while the other hand rested on his knee as he posed in a cross legged position. After a momentary silence and thought he snapped his fingers, showing he'd come to a conclusion in this thoughts. His blue eyes turned to Hinata with a smirk.

She wasn't sure she liked that.

"I dare you," he began with an impish look, "to make out with Gaara."

She arched a brow and flushed. In front of all them? And her cousin as well? Her face burned as she began to consider the shot of whiskey. And then she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked over at cold aqua hues. She smiled slightly. He was her rock after all, right?

He nodded at her, but showed nothing else.

She reached for his face, soft fingers gliding over his chin and jawline. As her hand drew behind his head, tangling in his fiery locks she sought courage and pulled his face towards her own. She was too busy watching as his lashes slowly closed over his cool pools to notice the room watching to two with a bated breath. Why? Because there was no one else anymore. Only Gaara and her.

When her lips touched his, lids fluttering shut she was once more feeling that shock flood her system. The rush that made every bit of air evaporate from her lungs. She nibbled on his lower lip, seeking entrance. And when he tentatively opened for her, like he was afraid for everyone to see his moment of secret weakness with her... it was like a shattering of fireworks around her.

And then she was kissing him. Her tongue sliding in and out of his mouth. He slowly kissed her back, but did not touch her. For this she was grateful. She wasn't too sure if she could control herself otherwise. He was always so kind to her. And in many ways she felt she didn't deserve him.

She pulled away slowly, her mind fuzzy and her eyes hazed over. She didn't dare look at anyone in the room as she resumed her former seating position.

Naruto coughed, obviously embarrassed. "Well," he muttered with a lopsided grin. "My go I guess." And so he spun it. Everyone seemed to forget her moment of weakness as all eyes turned to the bottle rotating in the center of the room. A smirk laced Sakura's lips as it landed on her.

"Oh hell..." griped the blond.

Sasuke snicker. "If you're not there now you will be, dropout."

"Shut up, dumbass."

"Truth or dare, Naruto? And don't think you're getting off the hook so easily, Sasuke."

Sasuke arched a brow but said nothing more. Like hell he'd let the pink haired woman known as his girlfriend know he was fearing whatever she had in store for them both.

"Dare," muttered the blond, knowing full well if he said truth she'd rip him a new asshole.

Sakura played coy, looking to be thinking as all the others had. She even sighed as her emerald orbs looked up towards the ceiling.

"Oh for Christ's sake, woman. Get on with it! We all know you've got the perfect torture in mind. You have before you even walked in the room." This was from Naruto.

Everyone chuckled around him. Neji smiled slightly and Gaara made no real expression. But, Hinata could see his eyes dancing at the poor blond's circumstance.

"Fine," Sakura smiled. "I dare you, Naruto," she paused for the anticipation alone, "to kiss Sasuke."

And then the laughter erupted around the small circle of friends. Tenten held her gut and tried to keep tears from coming. Ino fell back and did nothing to hide her laughter. Neji chuckled slightly because really... it was funny.

Sasuke glared at Naruto and Naruto glared back.

"Just because you like guys too doesn't mean this means anything, you ass," Naruto muttered.

"Feh!" Sasuke hollered back with a fist. "Just because you're guy doesn't mean I'll like it. Freakin' dropout."

"Shut up, ego maniac."

"Would you both shut up and do it already!" Sakura fumed. There was mirth in her features though.

Sasuke scowled and Naruto grumbled.

"Whatever, shithead," Naruto grunted. "Let's get this over with." With out so much as a warning he reached for the ebony-haired man's chin and pressed his lips to his. And it was much to everyone's suprise when he tried to pull away that Sasuke grabbed the back of his head and growled.

"Fuck you, if you're going to do this, at least do it right, dumbass."

Shocked expressions filed the room as Sasuke forced his mouth open and delved his tongue into the blond's mouth. At first he looked to resist... but as another moment passed he sunk into the kiss and his eyes shut closed.

It wasn't until Neji coughed that both men pulled away in shock and forced disgust.

"I'm _never_ doing that again," Naruto spat as he wiped his mouth.

"Whatever," Sasuke muttered, mirroring his actions, "it's not my fault you suck at kissing."

"What was that, chicken shit?!"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed on the blond as a fight seemed to go on between them with glares alone.

Sakura sighed. "Really you two, we can go back to my room if you want."

And then both men flushed, shutting up and looked away from one another in a huff.

Sakura chucked. "Next?" She reached for the bottle and spun it. And the night went on from there. More dares and more truths went on around the small room until everyone save Neji, Gaara and Hinata were thoroughly wasted beyond belief. Everyone sprawled out in a different part of the room and at some point Sakura ended up with both Sasuke and Naruto in Hinata's room. She'd flushed furiously when this knowledge assailed her ears while watching TV with Gaara and Neji.

"We can burn the sheets later if you wish," her cousin offered with a sarcastic drawl.

Hinata smiled despite her embarrassment. "I'll probably buy new ones."

"Hm..." Gaara began, "I'll buy them."

Neji arched a brow at this but said nothing as he sunk back into the chair.

Hinata glanced over at Tenten piled into a corner with a blanket and pillow as her only comfort. "You're not worried about her?"

Neji glanced over at Tenten, soft smile on his face. "Not at all. I'll probably take her back soon enough." His smile turned wry. "She drinks just about anyone under the table. Personally I can't tolerate the stuff." His nose wrinkled.

Hinata grinned. "I know. Don't think I forgot about that Christmas party two years back."

He groaned and rolled his eyes. "No, you wouldn't, would you?"

Gaara watched this interesting conversation as it passed back and forth between the two relatives. It was curious. They appeared to be more like siblings than cousins. In many ways Gaara felt like he was seeing a whole new side of his room mate. As if he were watching from outside of a window or looking at a television program about some happy family.

...how different it was from his own.

He sighed and looked towards the sliding glass doors. His cold pools scanned further to the outside, the soft hush of the air conditioner through the vent made the white curtains dance against the transparent sheen.

His mind drifted...

_..._

_"Father," the red head addressed him as he shut the study door behind him._

_He didn't bother even looking up from his paperwork. He said nothing to indicate he acknowledged his presence._

_Gaara's eyes narrowed as he waited, arms crossed over his chest. He watched as the brown haired male set his pen down and looked to his son._

_He arched a brow._

_Gaara's jaw tightened. "You called."_

_"Hm..." he seemed to muse, "so I did." Like he hadn't recalled at all. As though his youngest son's existence was of no importance._

_Gaara had always known this. He didn't care. What did bother him was having to be constantly reminded of just how much his only parent hated him._

_"I got the message you sent me. About the school."_

_Gaara said nothing. He felt on edge. Not because he feared his father per say... but more because he feared he would turn him down. Dai Sabaku might be a spiteful bastard when it came to his youngest son, but he'd never denied him his rights as a family member. Rights, as in money, a roof over his head and whatever else he wanted. He didn't do it out of care for him. He did it out of duty. Like hell he'd ever have anyone whisper rumors about how he hated his youngest son. No one would ever accuse him of being cheap or dishonorable._

_Gaara wanted to roll his eyes at the thought. Dishonor? Heh... like the family had any as far as he was concerned. He didn't care. As long as the old bastard let him get the hell out of here like his siblings he'd be content. As long as he got to play his music he'd be happy._

_"I sent a fax over to them with all the necessary details. You've been approved without contention."_

_Gaara arched a brow. He'd... used his money and position to... What? Gaara wanted to go on his own talents.. no because of his 'daddy's money'! This was bullshit. "I can't believe you," he hissed, fists clenching at his sides._

_His father was quite unaffected. "You honestly think I was going to wait around for them to approve you on your own talents?" He scoffed. "I'm not risking it. The rumors would be horrendous. You're a Sabaku. You will be the best and no one will know otherwise."_

_He just stared at him... he was in shock. He was angry. He was pissed. His lips tightened. "It always comes back to our reputation doesn't it? Always about the damn name. The fucking crest!"_

_"Lower your voice," his father chastised, looking fully in control. "We hardly need another episode like last week."_

_Like last week... of course... when he'd blown up and lost control to the point of tearing an entire room apart in his wake... his rage. He'd almost hurt a maid in the process. It hadn't been as bad as the last time... but the reminder was enough to allow himself to exhale as he tried to shake out of it._

_When he did speak though, it was low and deadly. How could it be helped? He was barely containing his anger... anger that his father saw fit to incite on a regular basis and then blame on him! "You've never even seen me play."_

_He shrugged._

_Fucking shrugged!_

_"I don't need to. You will go to the college. You will conduct yourself in a manner befitting our name. And you will do well to live up to it all. Any major incidents and I'll pull you home, have you sent to a hospital and so drugged up for the rest of your life no one will ever consider it being anything but your own delusional mind backfiring on you." He paused. "Do I make myself clear... Gaara?"_

_He fumed but said nothing. He'd made the threat plenty of times before. When he was a child and lost to his own rage. Before he could control the beast in his thoughts, before he could contain the hatred he felt for his father, the hated for himself... for killing his mother. His only response was the slam the door behind him as he left the study. His father would take it as a 'yes'. He always did..._

_..._

"Gaara?"

When he looked back out of his reverie it was Neji who called him. He arched a brow and looked around for Hinata.

"She went to go get a shower," he answered as if catching his thoughts.

Gaara nodded. He felt on edge. As such he stood up and walked towards the sliding door. He didn't smoke often... but he felt like he needed to right now. He moved to shut the door behind him on the balcony but was slightly surprised to see Neji join him. For whatever reason he offered the man a smoke as he pulled out a lighter. He shrugged as Neji waved it off and lit the cigarette hanging delicately between his lips.

"How long have you been seeing my cousin?"

It wasn't a question he has expected.... but it wasn't unwarranted either. Hinata and him weren't dating, if one wanted to put it bluntly. He wasn't sure what they were, in truth. They kissed, they hugged, the slept in the same bed together. And for the first time in his long life he managed to get through a night of good sleep without waking up on a regular basis.

He inhaled and exhaled shortly after. No need to intoxicate ones lung longer than needed. "We haven't established what we are," he muttered honestly.

Both men said nothing for a while. But it was no real shock when Neji spoke up, breaking the calming silence.

"I love Hinata very much, Sabaku."

"Don't call me that," Gaara ordered heatedly.

Neji arched a brow.

"I'm not my last name. My father is. _Don't_," he emphasized, "call me that."

And for some odd reason Neji... smiled. As if he understood him perfectly. Gaara didn't read too much into it, especially when he said, "You and I are not so different. However," his voice was cool, "I digress." He reached up, brushing aside an errant strands of brown. "Like I said, I love my little cousin very dearly. She's been through a lot. and in truth, I've never seen her happier."

Gaara could hear a but in there... somewhere. His didn't bother looking at him. He just exhaled smoke, leaning forward as his forearms supported him on the railing.

Neji did look at him, but only out of the corner of his eye. "I'm bot judging you, Gaara. Look at this from my perspective though. Until this point... you've been the number one asshole in the school. People are scared of you. Honestly," his eyes drifted shut, "I get it it. Even if you don't know why. Just remember... she's precious. I'm not going be the typical big brother or father figure in the story telling you I'll kick your ass if you hurt her." His eyes looked upward. "What I will tell you to do is be careful... She's kind. She won't break easily unless you push too hard."

Gaara turned as Neji placed a hand on his shoulder. The same eyes... Hinata's eyes stared at him with concern. He didn't know why but he didn't push him away.

"Don't let your own demons get the better of you... and her." Before he could reply Neji was already gone...

...Leaving Gaara more than perplexed. Some people were just never what you expected them to be.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

**AN: **Thanks everyone. Sorry this took an extra day than planned. I just couldn't get the idea right in my head. And now that I'm done with it I'm half tempted to write a one shot chapter about Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke XD. Any opinions?

**ABeautifulDeath ::** Thank you -tears up- I wasn't too sure about that last chapter. I didn't think it was mushy enough. But your review made me feel a lot better about it.

**ShadowFox19 ::** Me too. I almost made her brother Neji. But I luffs him too much -purr-

**Gaaras-Gothic-Ninja-Sappy-Sue ::** Aw! Das sweet! Many of my stories have few reviews. I don't really think it's because they're bad. Mostly because I update them so often. They don't have long to sit and accumulate them quickly. Although, sometimes people see my other stories, hop to my profile and read the complete ones. So, I guess I get more reviews that way.

**WinterKaguya ::** Haha! You're a Sailor Moon fan! I can so tell by your name -snicker- I love it to. My first anime and my one real obsession. -grins- Well, you get tidbits of Hinata's family here and there. But, I do hope this chapter gave you more about Gaara.

**LaClem ::** Aw, thanks. I try to make my flow good. To me it's one of the most important parts.

**JennieBennie :: **I'm pretty sure I sent you a reply by message. But, thank you!

To everyone else who has been reading/reviewing/alerting/favouriting...? DOMO!

**--Blade**


	13. Chapter 13

**..Chapter Thirteen..**

**..**

**.**

**..**

_He was in a haze of darkness. All the unknown sounds and voices were assailing him, torturing him. He felt as thought a thousand pecking birds were picking at him. His eyes tightened shut and he tried to get the feeling to go away._

_"Gaara..."_

_He heard a voice in all that mess. It sounded so familiar. The cry was sharp and distant. It scorched his senses._

_"Gaara!"_

_Hinata!_

_His eyes flew open as his heart rammed into his chest several times over. The noises stopped, the pecking ceased and he felt the whole of his being right itself. Everything was black around him. Everything was pitch. And then... there ahead of him appeared a door. A long brown, wooden door with the number G-55._

_"Gaara!"_

_His heart caught in his throat and ran for the door. Hadn't Hidan been expelled? Hadn't he been tossed in jail? Why was Hinata in there?!_

_"Hinata!" He cried out to her and reached for the door knob._

_Locked!_

_Of course it would be. He tugged on it, hearing her cry his name over and over again in his ear. "I'm coming, Hinata!" He began relentlessly kicking on the door, pushing into it, shoving it. And then he felt a tap on his shoulder. He stopped and looked. An ax was held out to him. Sasuke Uchiha was offering it up._

_Without questioning he took the sharp object and began to attack the door with it. Wood splintered under his wake. It broke with each slice, each swing._

_"Gaara!" She screamed this time._

_In moments he had the door swung wide open. He didn't even check on her. He flung himself at Hidan and started hitting him into a bloody mess. "I told you to stay away from her." He growled. "I'm going to kill you." The funny part about all of this is the man before him wasn't even fighting back. It didn't stop him. He just kept going. And when he felt as thought he'd had enough he pulled back._

_He gasped._

_Cold aqua hues stared back at his own. He smirked at him, even through the bloody mess of his own face. "I told you..." he whispered cruelly, "you're a monster." He started to laugh at him. "We always were and we always will be." He pulled himself off the man so quickly he was tripping over his feet in fear._

_"No..." He whispered in disbelief. His eyes were wide and shaking. His eyes drew over to Hinata on the bed. As soon as he did she was jerking away from his gaze, her fear filled eyes not meeting his own. When he looked back to the offender... himself... there was no one._

_He stood up and walked over to Hinata._

_"Don't..!" she cried out and shook._

_He took a step back... as if burned. As if she'd taken a branding iron and scorched his flesh just then. His chest felt tight, his insides were a mess and he didn't understand what the hell was happening. He looked at her as cold aqua met with lavender ice._

_Those eyes...._

_He felt air leave his lungs as he took another step back... and another... and another..._

_They were directed at him._

_She hated him._

_He'd done this to her._

_Not Hidan._

_He'd finally become the monster he always knew himself to be._

_......._

Gaara woke up with a start and flashed his eyes open in the dark room. He was breathing heavily. He jumped when he felt a warm limb move next to him and turned his depths quickly to see what it was.

Hinata...

Of course. He closed his eyes and raked a hand through his short red strands. She'd come to his room tonight because Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke were still in her room. He glanced over at the clock on his night stand. Four in the morning. His eyes darted to the window. Sure enough, it was still dark out.

He slid out of bed as quietly as he possibly could as not to disturb Hinata. Right now he was too afraid to even look at her beyond what was required. He was still afraid she'd open her eyes and...

He reached for the door knob and opened his room. As he stepped out into the quiet living area he shut it with a click behind him. All the lights were out and everyone left behind was still asleep in the living room. Neji had left with Tenten though. It meant one less couple to wake up to in the morning for him.

He sighed and went to the fridge. He needed a drink, even if it was just water. He needed something to clear his mind. He needed... His eyes closed again as they held the bottle poised and the fridge door open. His hand clenched and he slung the door closed with a slam. Silently, he hoped he'd not woken anyone with the noise.

Nothing else sounded in the dark silent dorm.

His hand around the bottle clenched more so and his jaw tightened. He felt like his whole world was falling apart because of that dream. What did it mean? Why did it scare him so much? He knew why. He just didn't want to face reality. He didn't want to see the truth in it. That truth? That inevitable pang of distaste that left a raw feeling on his tongue?

He could _never_ be with Hinata.

He would hurt her. If he didn't do it today he would some other day. In the future those pained eyes would be real. They would be real and they would be directed at him. Because it wouldn't be Hidan who hurt her the next time.

It would be him.

He had to stop this nonsense at the root. He had to get away from her. He had to distance himself from her before it got that bad. He had to keep himself from touching her, kissing her, holding her...

...loving her.

For her own sake he would have to cut all ties with the ebony haired woman who'd wound herself into his life. He doubted he could swap rooms with someone else, but he could keep himself so busy she'd never see him anymore. If need be he'd sleep somewhere else. He'd find a way to keep her safe.

From himself.

ooo

Cool pools of lavender opened, blinking as she felt around for a warm body to hold. Nothing but sheets caught her grasp. Nothing. Her brow furrowed and she turned over. Gaara was gone. It left an odd pang of emptiness in her gut. He was always here with her when she woke up. Why wasn't he today?

She sat up slowly and stole a glance at the clock on his night stand. It was ten o'clock. Two hours until classes started up again. Maybe he got up early and didn't wish to wake her? That sounded like a good enough reason.

She yawned and stretched out her limbs. No matter. She'd see him soon enough. A smile crested her features and she got out of bed. She ran her hands down the old shirt he'd offered her up last night and went for the door. The handle turned softly under her swift touch and she was exiting the room. She took a quick gaze about the living room and kitchen. It seemed like everyone had left. And everything had been cleaned to boot. That was a relief to her. She wanted to enjoy her quiet morning in peace.

Still...

It would be nice if Gaara had waited for her before going.

She shrugged and headed for her room. She needed to change and shower before eating breakfast. Knowing it was a distinct possibility three crashed out bodies were still in her room she opened it carefully and quietly. A blush crept onto her features as she noticed they were still in her bed. All tangled up in a mess of sheets and warm blankets.

She smiled despite this.

They were adorable all curled up together. She did need to wake them up though. She gingerly tiptoed towards the bed and nudged Sakura. The pink haired punk was curled up with Naruto on her back and Sasuke in her chest. Her breath dusted across his soft black strands. She watched as bright green orbs blinked open. She looked like she was in a daze for a moment and then her eyes focused on Hinata. She smiled.

"Sorry about this." She was whispering and seemed to curl further into the boys' embraces.

Hinata smiled back. "It's alright. Gaara said he'd buy me new sheets anyway. I'm going to get some clothes and go take a shower. I just thought you might like to know it's after ten already."

Sakura nodded and yawned. "Ok, I'd get up but... well." She grinned a little. "We're kinda..."

Hinata nodded, but blushed anyway. "I know. Naked. It's alright." She leaned back and went to go get her clothes in silence. After doing so he gave a soft wave and shut the door behind her.

After that it was a quick shower. She dried her hair off, got dressed and jumped about the kitchen in a flurry to get ready. She didn't know why she was in such a hurry. After all she still had two whole hours before her first class. She smiled.

Maybe she was just happy?

Things had been going so well with Gaara she couldn't seem to help but have an extra bounce in her step. They'd kissed twice yesterday. Twice! They'd both done it because they wanted to. Nothing had been alcohol induced. Well, the second one had been because of a dare.... but still. He wanted it just as much as she did.

And it had felt wonderful.

This left her thoughts trailing to other night's thought she'd had earlier in the evening before the game. When she'd pondered whether or not she was in love with Gaara. He was always so kind to her. He made her smile and ever since hanging out with him she'd stopped stuttering. It happened now and then. But, usually only when he she was really, really nervous about something or scared. Like the time Naruto had jumped out of no where and went 'BOO!' in her face just as she rounded a hallway corner. That had almost been a fainting moment from hell.

Well... until Gaara had smacked him upside the head and made sure she was ok.

She smiled brightly.

He one and and only knight in shinning armor.

She gave a quick look at the clock on the wall and almost jumped. She had fifteen minutes to grab her stuff and get to class. What had she been thinking?! Daydreaming like that!

"Oh! Damnit," she hissed as she dodged Sakura and the boys exiting her room dressed in rumpled clothing.

"What's the hurry, Hina?" Naruto blinked at her.

"No time to talk! Fifteen minutes until class starts! Gotta hurry!" She grabbed her instrument and bag. Then she was dashing out the door and down the stairs. she almost laughed despite her plunder when she heard Sakura's screeching about hurrying up.

Life was never boring here. That was for sure.

ooo

At then end of her school day Hinata was more than worried she still hadn't seen Gaara. Usually she couldn't shake him from her side, not that she'd ever tried. He was such a present fixture in her life she'd suddenly felt odd without him around. It was like walking an entire day without one show on. You knew something was missing and it felt weird, but you couldn't really do anything about it since you;d lost the bloody shoe.

She saw Temari coming down the hall with the guy from the night before. Shikamaru, right? Yeah, that was his name. She'd only just met him that evening. Hinata had never been perfect with names. Faces she could recall with certain ease.

"Hey, Temari." She smiled.

Temari smiled back and stopped in front of her. "Hey." She eyed her oddly. "You alright?"

Hinata shook her head. "No, not really. I haven't seen Gaara all day. He left before me."

Temari frowned and tapped her lip gently. "Hm... I haven't seen him either." She shrugged. "It's not completely unlike him to go AWAL for a few hours or even days. Don't sweat it alright?"

She nodded and bit her lower lip. "I know... but.."

"The party last night may have been too much for him, hun. Just give him some time to get it out of his system."

"Ok," she sighed and waved goodbye as they walked off past her. It was easy for Temari not to worry about Gaara. She didn't spend every waking moment with him. She didn't feel as though her entire world revolved around him. She didn't spend every evening eating dinner with him in the peace of their dorm. She didn't sleep in the same bed curled up to him every night...

Hinata closed her eyes and sigh as he walked on. He would be alright. It had only been a day after all. It's not like he was avoiding her.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

**AN:** Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. I bet you didn't expect this to happen huh? I would have wrote and posted it Saturday but I had to work that night. And I needed sleep too. Everyone needs a nap if they're going to work an 9 hour 3rd shift, right?

**WinterKaguya ::** I like Neji this way too. He's seems really in control of his emotions. My favorite is and will always be Pluto. But, I'm a lot like Uranus too.

Now.. I can't recall her screen name that was used. I thought it was a review.. but I guess not, looking at the review page. Hm, anyway, someone commented that they were worried that this fiction was a reflection of me. That maybe the way Hinata or Gaara act and see themselves might be the way I see MYSELF. This is not the case at all. I have quite a bit of confidence in myself. -smiles- However, it is very ego-boosting to think someone thought that because of my writing. Were the emotions that real? -blush-

**--Blade**


	14. Chapter 14

**..Chapter Fourteen..**

**..**

**.**

**..**

A week had passed by. A whole week and she still hadn't seen Gaara. She hadn't eaten with him, she hadn't practiced with him and Kankurou had even come by to tell her he'd switched his practice time when she'd asked Temari about it earlier on that day. Everytime she knocked on his door and opened it to see if he was there? He wasn't. The bed was always a mess like _had_ been there. The sheets smelled of him once she got the guts to inhale his scent after having gone so long without him. Her own room felt so empty without him by her side. She'd almost been tempted to steal one of his pillows just so she could get a decent night's rest with his smell so close to her.

She'd written him notes and left them on his bed. Each time they were gone so she knew he was getting them. He left her supper every night in the fridge so when she got home she could heat it up and eat by herself.

She hated eating by herself.

Everytime she thought she got a glimpse of him in a hallway and chased after the tuff of red it either turned out to be someone else... or she lost him. Either that or her imagination was running rampant. Even Anko, her voice instructor, had no idea what was with him. And really, she didn't care just as long as he'd let her be with him for five minutes.

Had she done something wrong? Had she upset him? Was he angry with her? Had she not kissed right? Were they moving too fast? Did she scare him off?

What had she done _wrong_?

She wanted to talk to someone, but, everything hurt too much. It took everything in her to just pay attention in class. Kakashi was starting to get worried about her. She could tell by the look in his eyes. She'd refused to hang out with anyone anytime they offered. She knew Sakura was worried about her too, but she didn't want to talk about it. She felt like her whole world was crumbling all over again.

Instead of losing her brother though, she was losing the man she loved.

Yes, loved.

She'd finally admitted it to herself halfway through the week. All these emotions, all these feelings, holding him every night, kissing him, the bliss it was to be held in his arms.... she loved him. She wanted to spend every waking and sleeping moment with him. She wouldn't go so far as to say she wanted to marry him, but, Gaara.... he made her feel whole. He brought her out of her own personal shell and made her want more from her life.

He'd inadvertently helped her make friends. He'd given her the courage she lacked before and even more so after the car accident. And she wasn't exactly ready to tell him how she felt. However, she hoped he felt the same way about her. She wanted to tell him. But, how could she when all she got was the after warmth of his touch on the sheets, or the sensation of knowing he'd touched the food he prepared for her when she touched it as well?

She felt like he was whispering in her ear and never really speaking to her. It was half lived existence and she could only take so much more of it before she broke entirely.

Did... he hate her?

She bit her bottom lip and stared at his door. She reached out and tried to turn the knob. Unexpectedly, it was locked this time. Hope sliced through her at the realization that he might be there tonight. She tried to quell her shaking and knocked. And then she waited for his reply.... and waited.... and waited... and waited. Her eyes shut softly and she hung her head in defeat. He wasn't even going to talk to her. She wanted to give up...

...but she couldn't.

He'd always been strong for her. The least she could do was try to help him if this wasn't about her. And so... with a quivering voice... "Gaara... I know y-you're in there." She didn't even care that she was stuttering. She had to do something. "...I don't m-mean to b-bother you... I-I.... I just want y-you to know I'm sorry... that is, I'm sorry if I d-did something wrong." She sighed and wrung her hands in front of her. "You mean the world to m-me. I'd hate to have caused you some pain in any way." He felt her voice choking but went on. "I k-know I c-can be annoying.. and troublesome..." She bit her lower lip. "I-If you want I can move out of the dorm. I don't w-want to be a b-burden to y-you." She felt her voice cracking as she fought back tears.

It was really hard not to though. She loved him. And he was blocking her out of his life. He must hate her. She felt the first tear fall and wiped it away hastily. She would not cry. She'd done enough of that already.

She placed her hand on the door and rested her forehead on it as she closed her eyes. "Please... please.. I'll do anything just... don't lock me out." Another tear fell. "I..." _I love you._

ooo

Gaara stared at the door as he heard the soft knocking. He felt his heart strain as she talked through the thick wood. Of course she knew he was there. The door was locked and it only did that from the inside. He sighed as he heard her go on about being a bother and apologizing. He dug his fingers into his scalp. Didn't she understand? Didn't she get it? He was going to hurt her if they continued on this path. He was going to hurt her and she was going to hate him.

He felt his gut wretch as she said how much he meant to her. Did she have any idea what she was saying to him? He wasn't worthy of her care or her feelings. The best he could do for her was ignore her for the rest of his life. The best he could hope for her was to find someone else who would love her with the utmost care and devotion that he wanted to.

He heard her voice cracking and he could have sworn she was crying. His hands shook as he stood up. He wanted to do nothing more but rip the door open and take her into a warm embrace. But, he knew he couldn't. He just couldn't. He had to resist even if it meant hearing her cry.

Each note she'd sent him was like a lifeline. Each time he smelled her on his own sheets he wanted to cry out in desperation, in need just for her touch. She was his light. Her inner beauty, her inner innocence did not deserve to be tainted in his violent urges.

He came up to the door and pressed his forehead against it as he closed his eyes and placed his palm on it as well. He could almost feel her aura radiating through the door as she spoke that last word; as she begged him to let her in.

Little did either of them know... just how close the other was. Her hand and his hovered over the other between the solidity of the wood. This same action was mirrored with their heads. And three simple words lay unspoken between the two...

_...I love you.._

Gaara felt tears prick his eyes as he turned and slid down the door. His own actions were mirrored by Hinata on the other side the wooden blockade. He shut them tightly and balled his hands into fists as his sides. It took all his strength to still do nothing but sit there.

He loved her. She was the first real person in his life to ever come along show him any sort of care; any kind of consideration. She didn't hate him. And she never looked at him like some sort of caged animal waiting to attack. He hated doing this. He hated who he was. He hated how Hidan had made him realize just what he really was. Even if he hadn't acted on it yet it was only a matter of time before he hurt someone. If he was going to hurt someone he'd rather it not be Hinata.

Anyone but Hinata.

He choked down a sob as the tears came earnest and he shut his eyes tighter.

She'd fall in love with someone else. She'd move on without him eventually. And someone, better than him, would love her back.

Someone would love her.... but try as she might, search as she would, no one would ever love her as deeply or as passionately as he did.

ooo

After about five hours of lamely half sitting half laying in front of Gaara's bedroom door, crying herself stupid to the point of snot almost coming out of her nose and a red puffed face... Hinata finally opted just to get off her ass.

It was pointless. He hated her. He must hate her. No one in their right mid ignored someone for a whole week and then still ignored someone as they cried relentlessly outside of their door while begging to be let in. Short of telling him she loved him? She had nothing left. And telling him that now might only make things worse.

Especially if he hated her.

She couldn't stay here. She just couldn't. It hurt too much. And obviously he didn't want her here. She ran into her room, still in tears and grabbed a few things. She stuffed some clothes into a bag and grabbed her cello. That along with her book bag were slung over her shoulder. She didn't even bother shutting her bedroom door as she ran out of the dorm and into the barely lit hallway. But, she was quite sure she slammed the room door in her haste.

She didn't care. At least he would know she was gone. Gone from that room at least for the night to give him some peace. She ran down the hallway and towards the stairs. She didn't want to wait on the elevator. Her eyes scanned the room doors until she finally came to the one she wanted.

By the time she reached it and knocked on it a little too loudly she was crying as painfully as before. He heart was racing. It was breaking. She wanted to crawl in a hole and die. She wanted everything to go away. She felt like she was suffocating.

The death of her brother had hurt... but.. oh gods... it hadn't hurt this much. She felt like the whole of her chest was being ripped right out of her and flung across the barren cherry wood walls.

When the door finally opened eyes to match her own stared in surprise.

"Hinata.... what happened..?" His voice, Neji's, was filled with concern. It was obvious she'd just woken him up. He was dressed only in a white robe.

"Neji, what's going on? Who's at the door?" Tenten showed up just behind him. Once she got a look at Hinata's face her own cool facade broke out in concern. "Hinata?"

She couldn't take it anymore. She dropped her things and fell into Neji's embrace. And the she cried. She cried and cried and cried. She felt his soothing hands rub down her back as he led her into the room. She didn't even looked to see as Tenten got her things and close the door to the small dorm room.

No, she just kept crying into the silk of his robe. She barely felt him pick her up bridal style and walk towards and couch. He was still soothingly rubbing her back as he whispered nice things in her ear. She clung to him like a child. It'd been so long since she'd done that with him.

"Tell me what's wrong, angel," he whispered in her ear a nickname he'd not used since she was eight. The last time she could recall him doing so was after she skinned her knee and he had to help her stop crying.

She just cried more and clung harder. "He hates me," she choked out. "He hates me..." It was a cried whisper.

Tenten took a seat next to her lover and ran her hand gently down Hinata's head. "Who hates you, Hinata?"

She tried to stifle her tears, but they would not subside. "Gaara... He won't speak to me. I don't know what I did wrong..." Her voice was muffled in her cousin's chest. "He hasn't even seen me for a week. He won't come out of his room." She pulled back a bit and looked into her cousin's concerned eyes. "I love him," she whispered. "I love him and he hates me."

Neji wasn't quite sure what to say. He loved Hinata like he would a sister. They'd not always been close because of the bad blood between their fathers. But he'd overcome that and learned from it. And in the process become stronger because of it.

He looked over at Tenten. She looked equally upset and confused. He sighed and looked back down at his trembling cousin. "Hinata..."

She shook her head. "I don't need you to do anything. I just want a place to stay for the night. I couldn't stay..."

"Shh..." he consoled her, "you don't have to go anywhere."

Tenten nodded. "You can sleep on my bed," she offered softly. "In fact, why don't you go get a shower?"

Hinata nodded and took the tissue the older woman offered. She wiped her face and allowed the brunette to lead her int the small bathroom. Once it was closed and she had some nightwear on the toilette via her host she set about taking a long, hot shower.

Tenten sighed as she shut the door. When she walked back into the small living area and sat down next to Neji he took her hand and squeezed it. She squeezed back. "What are you going to do?" She knew Neji would never go off the handle and to anything irrational... but frankly... He looked rather torn up about the whole situation.

"I don't know yet. I know I need to talk to him at the very least."

Tenten shook her head. "She won't be happy about it."

"She won't know. I don't plan on doing anything to him. But," he sighed, "I need to know why he's doing this to her."

Tenten pursed her lips slightly and leaned into him. She smiled as he wrapped his arm about her and pulled her close. "Do you have an idea as to why?" His voice, the way he said it, sounded like it. She always knew his tones, no matter how subtle the change was.

"I have a hunch... but that's all." He pulled her closer to him and closed his eyes. He pressed a kiss lightly to her forehead. "I love you." He said it in a way that was almost pained. As if he regretted something.

"I love you too," she whispered back and held tighter to him. "And that will never change."


	15. Chapter 15

**..Chapter Fifteen..**

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**..**

Gaara didn't come out of his room until the next day. He knew she was gone. He'd known since she'd slammed the door to the dorm. He known since he couldn't somehow sense her through the wood barrier anymore. He'd known because... he couldn't.... hear her crying anymore.

When he did come out the main room of the dorm was quiet and dark. Her door was wide open. He glanced about and gave a soft sigh. His face was stoic. His stance was rigid. He ached from falling asleep against the door. His eyes ached from trying not to cry earlier. His back was in a fit of knots. He blocked it all out as he looked towards a clock.

Today was a weekend. So he had no real need to be anywhere. But, he sure as hell wasn't going to be here when Hinata came back.

_If she does_, he said within his own thoughts.

His heart ached at the memory of how he'd treated her. He hadn't had a choice. She would just have to understand why he was doing all of this. Hurting her later, more profoundly, was far worse than hurting her only slightly right now. She would move on. She had to. He had to.

He turned around to go back into his room but his eyes caught something glittering in the bleakness of her own dark room. He arched a brow slightly. Something was tugging at him. Something was telling him to go in there. Dragging his senses to follow.

_Knock!_

He jerked his eyes away from the glittering item and towards the door. Fear sliced through him; fear and hope that it might be Hinata beyond the door. No, it couldn't be her. She wouldn't knock. She would have just come in. It couldn't be his sister or brother because they too would have come right in.

No, someone else was darkening the entrance to his abode. He should just ignore it. That was the funny part though. They just kept knocking and knocking and fucking knocking. It got to the point where he just growled in irritation and stalked over to the door with little or no thought. He gripped the knob and practically flung the thing open in his raged fury.

"What--!" He grunted as he was cut off and someone breezed past him with a hand on his chest.

"Close the door, Gaara. We need to talk."

That was when he noticed the pale ivory coloring of the man's kimono-style top and the black of his kendo-like pants. The brown of his long hair was tied back at the base of his back, down at the very end with a tight band.

Neji.

Gaara narrowed his eyes. He considered several scenarios. One including throwing Neji out of the small apartment. Others still included telling him to fuck off or go away while still throwing him out. Why the hell was he here? Why had he been annoyingly rapping on his door?

Neji turned, his cold eyes locking with Gaara's in what appeared a match of sorts. His jaw tightened but his face remained impassive. "I will not repeat myself."

Gaara's eyes narrowed a fraction. "I'm not your servant, Hyuuga."

"No, you are not," he said impassively, "but I am a guest in your home. You should see fit to show some semblance of respect."

"You must not know me very well."

And then Neji's eyes narrowed a fraction. "No," he said cooly, "Hinata does." He noticed how that appeared to strike a chord in Gaara. He didn't let it show on his face. It had to be enough for Gaara to understand why he was here.

He shut the door with a slam. "So, that's why you're here." His lips twisted into a scowl. "Playing the big bad brother role, I see? Thought you were a bit above that." His voice was a sneer.

"Hn," he muttered. "I am. Then again, I'm not the one you insisted on breaking a young woman's heart yesterday. Do you know she cried in my arms for five hours until she finally fell asleep?"

Gaara felt like wincing, flinching, something. But he refused to show it. He wouldn't. Because then Neji would catch on to what he was doing. And he would tell Hinata. And then Hinata would...

_save me..._

No, that couldn't happen.

_Why not? Would it be so bad?_

_Yes! _He shouted back to his thoughts. _I'd hurt her._

_You already have, can't you see that?_

_It's better this way. It has to be._

"Is she alright?" He asked, trying to seem impassive,.

"What do you care?" Neji muttered, trying to make him take the bait. "It's not like you're in love with the girl or anything. She's just some room mate. Someone to pass the time with." He smiled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Don't get me wrong, she's my cousin and everything. I love her to death, but I can see how you'd be annoyed by her. Always stuttering. Always mooning you in the eyes like she's some love sick fool. Who would ever want that?"

_I would._ His mind cried.

Neji gave a long exaggerated sigh and began walking more into the room, towards the peninsula of the kitchen. He grabbed and apple and idly tossed it up a few times before catching it again. "I know I have the same eyes as her. But don't you find them just a tad ...oh... how shall I say this? Like she's ripping into your soul? Hell, I think I tend to enjoy my privacy. Who wants someone doing that?"

_More like staring than ripping..._

"Who wants to be seen as anything but how they present themselves? Sickening, I know." He took a bite of the apple and turned to lean into the counter. "I bet you could do better anyway. I could even help you out by setting her up with someone else." He cracked a grin as if he'd had the most brilliant idea. "Sai seems to like her. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I played match maker."

Gaara tensed up slightly, but said nothing.

"He's such a romantic too. Just her type. Always writing love sonnets and all that sorta muck. I hear he's rather good in the sack to. I'm not sure if Hinata's ever had sex before. I bet his room mate wouldn't mind switching with her and then you be off the hook--"

Neji smirked as Gaara interrupted him by slamming a fist on the island counter. A glass rolled along the counter, fell and shattered on the floor. He waited for him to say something.

_Hm... just a bit further..._

"Sakura dated him last year. Right before she hooked up with Sasuke. She's told me just what kind of things he does beneath the sheets. Perhaps I'll ask him for a few tips. Would you like me to pass them on?" His voice was nonchalant.

"Stop it," Gaara muttered low as his eyes bore into the island counter top.

"Stop what?"

"You and I both know what you're trying to do. Let's not insult both of our intellects by pretending."

Neji shrugged. "I'm really not following. I'm just trying to help you out. Now, back to Sai." He took another bite and chewed. He swallowed shortly afterward. "You could always switch with him. I'm sure he'd love the extra space. Plenty of room to make his move, you know."

"I said stop it," he raged in a ragged voice.

Neji eyed him curiously. His expression said much the same as before, but inside he was really eying him as if to wonder how much more he would take before just snapping. "You don't love her, Gaara. You don't have the right to tell me to stop. If she wants to fuck another man that's her place."

"Stop it," he choked.

He didn't. "Is she wants someone to love her, to kiss her, to touch her in all the right places that her choice."

"Stop it."

"You think it hurts now? Just imagine how much it's going to hurt when you see her in the arms of some other guy. When you see his tongue slanted halfway down her throat and her face lit up in bliss because he makes her happy. Not you."

"Stop it!" He ordered finally and turned burning eyes to Neji, fist flying towards his jaw. But, Neji caught it with ease. He barely moved. He hadn't even stopped munching on his apple. He gripped Gaara's wrist in a hold so strong Gaara flinched. He hadn't known the Hyuuga held so much power. No wonder he hadn't minded pushing his buttons.

"Hn..." He muttered as he finished swallowing. He shoved Gaara back with an ease of his hand. He watched as the red head only stumbled slightly. "I'd say you don't deserve her, but you already think that. Don't you?"

Gaara's eyes flashed to Neji's looking slightly vulnerable for a moment. It vanished quickly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come now Gaara, allow me to borrow one of your set of words. 'You and I both know what you're trying to do. Let's not insult both of our intellects by pretending.'" His voice was held in a distinct way to mimic Gaara's. He rolled his eyes. "Quit pretending to me. I'm not Hinata. And like I told you on the balcony... you and I are not so different."

This made Gaara snarl slightly. "What could you possibly know about me?"

"Quit being so fucking defensive." He grumbled as if more annoyed than anything else. "You're not the only one with shitty parents. You're not the only one who has someone in their life who made it hell." He watched a look pass over Gaara's features. "You don't think I know the look of pain when I see it? Or why another man's face contorts or why he holds himself in a regard befitting a raging beast?"

Gaara was stunned to silence.

"I might not have turned out like you, Gaara, but I know the same pains. And believe it or not... so does Hinata." He scowled this time. "It's only recently, since the death of Vaughn that our lives have gotten better."

"What do you mean?" He finally said.

"Well, if you really want to know you'll just have to ask Hinata, won't you?" And then he started to walk off towards the door.

"Wait," Gaara cried. His voice was soft with his next words. "I can't... I can't see her... I'll..." His words broke off.

He snorted after he opened the door. "She won't break, Gaara. She's not made of glass. You hurt her... but if you want her back, IF being the key word here, you'll find her own your own and mend what you've broken." And the he was gone, the door shutting softly behind him.

Gaara was left staring at the door. Neji was wrong. He had to be. Gaara could never face Hinata again. There was nothing to fix. Sure, it would hurt when he finally saw her move onto someone else. But in the end he would move on. He would restrain himself. He would do it for her happiness.

Something glittered in her room again. Something caught his eye across the way. It demanded his attention to the sheer point of annoyance. Finally no longer being able to take the merciless path of his own thoughts curiosity got the better of him. He stalked across the room and into her own. The item seemed to shine brighter in the room. A mixture of blue black cloth. He reached over and flipped the light switch on.

And then the whole of the part of the bed seemed to glow with a thousand mirrored flecks. He slowly walked over and reached down. His hands curled about the soft fabric as he lifted it. Another moment of looking it over and he knew it to be the dress she'd worn to the night of the party.

She must have tossed it onto the bed in her hurry to leave... to get away from him.

She'd looked so unhappy that night. And not just about Hidan. She seemed genuinely upset over the fact that she'd torn the dress. Or maybe Hidan had. She surely couldn't hold herself at fault for such a mistake. It's not like she had asked that sadist to try and rape her.

He fumbled with the gown a bit longer until he noted the tab an the back of inside of it.

_The Blue Demon_

_"Heavenly Wings"_

_By Andromeda Vega_

He knew the name and location of the shop. It was his sisters' favorite. Something tugged at him. The dress and maybe he own insides, were screaming at him to do something. To go there. To meet with this woman and at the very least ask her to fix the gown for Hinata.

It was the least he could do for her wasn't it?

Yes.

He couldn't wipe her tears or ease her grief for what he'd done. But, he could make due on his promise. He could have her gown mended. She would be happy for that at least. It was all he could do for her. It would be enough.

It had to be.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

**AN:** I'm really happy with chapter. Sorry it took so long to get out. Now I don't want you thinking Neji views Hinata in horrible light. He's a true gentleman in my story. The only reason he said such cruddy words about her was to make Gaara pissed. And as you can see it worked.

**-Blade**


	16. Chapter 16

**..Chapter Sixteen..**

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**..**

Gaara held the dress carefully folded in a bag in one hand as is oceanic pools stared up at the glass window which bore the name 'The Blue Devil'. He'd never been here before himself. But his sister had drug him past the place plenty of times. It wasn't too far from his favorite tattoo shop. That and Temari could be annoyingly persistent.

He gave one final sigh before he trudged up the short set of stairs into the elevated shop. A bell chimed as he entered. His eyes blinked as he gave the joint a once over. Perhaps he would have to reconsider coming here.

The place indeed looked every bit a fairy tail of both dark and bright perceptions like the dress Hinata had purchased. Elaborate art work decorated the walls. Some of it looked positively gothic while other parts looked heavenly. It was no doubt the shop owner had a pension for the odd and lovely.

He pursed his lips in wonder and curiosity.

Where was the shop owner? Where were the workers? He arched a brow and took a few steps forward.

"Are you looking for someone?"

He jumped and turned around. How had not heard her? How had she snuck up on him? Gaara was never one to be snuck up on so easily. His eyes narrowed on the older woman. She wasn't quite so old. Perhaps in her mid thirties or late twenties. Her hair was a black obsidian. Her eyes like fire glistening with flecks of gold and red. Her entire hour glass figure was wrapped in a peasant top and a billowing skirt of multiple colors. Her head wrapped in a bandanna. She had bright gold hooped earrings on either ear. And every now and then, when she moved, he heard a jingle of bells. He looked down and realized her bare feet had ankles wrapped in chain-like bells.

Her voice was a rich as smooth honey. If anything, very foreign. She reminded him much of a gypsy. What was this mysterious aura he felt in her presence? Magical?

She laughed at him. "Oh, don't look so serious, Gaara. It will give you wrinkles. Yes?"

He stared at her.

She grinned and waggled her finger at him. "You're wondering how I know your name. I can tell these things. I'm most perceptive." She was still smiling. "Don't worry, love. I won't bite. You are meant for someone else. I can tell." She was laughing at him softly.

He frowned, utterly confused by the woman. "Who are you?"

"Andromeda Vega, my boy." She bowed slightly. "The owner of this shop and at your service."

He blinked. The woman was off her rocker. He was convinced.

She eyed him curiously thought narrowed eyes as that mysterious smile never left her face. "Hm..."

"What?"

She smirked as if she had unearthed the secret of the world. "You are here to have something mended, yes?"

"How did you..."

"I told you, boy. I know these things." She held her hands out. "Come, let me see."

He numbly handed the bag over to her, utterly confused. He wanted to be upset with her. He wanted to ask her how she knew all these things. And he found he couldn't. There was something magnetic about her personality that calmed him.

She opened the bag and walked past him towards the counter he was standing in front of. His eyes followed her like a stranded animal would follow a plate of food. He watched as she pulled the dress out of the bag.

"Ah," she smiled again, "my best piece. It is a gown of dreams, broken hearts and unrequited love..." She sighed blissfully. "It is such a shame you didn't see her in her best with this on. I can tell she was looking forward to you looking at her in it." She fumbled with the end that was torn. "I shall fix this for you. It will only take a moment. Come!" She ordered and moved around to the back with of the counter with the dress. She opened a door and waited for him.

He just blinked.

She huffed at him. "Come on my boy. We don't have time to waste. If you wish to have this fixed you will come with me while I mend it. That is the price I will charge you for such a service."

He nodded. He didn't want to go. He didn't trust her. He didn't like the way this was going. But if he wanted to get Hinata's gown mended he would go. And this was how he convinced himself to follow the gypsy behind the gray door painted to look like stone.

The room was small and cold. There was a sewing table to his right and rack of clothing to his direct front. On the left was a desk with several piles of bills and letters. He watched after she closed the door and sashayed towards the sewing table. She took a seat on the high stool and motioned for him to take the one on the end of the table next to her.

"Come my boy. We have much to speak on,"

His brow furrowed. "I have nothing to tell you."

She frowned. "Sit," was her stern order.

He felt drawn by and unforeseen force. The same one that had drawn him to the dress and to this shop in the first place. And before he knew it he was sitting down where she had told him too. What the hell was going on here?!

"Now," she stated going about her work on the gown, "you have a lot on your mind, yes?"

His eyes narrowed. "Listen, lady--"

"Andromeda," she interrupted him.

He grit his teeth. "Fine, listen here, Andromeda... I don't need to talk to you about anything. I just came here to get a dress fixed. I'd appreciate it if you kept your thoughts to yourself."

She grunted. "You are such an angry young man, do you know that? And you're anger has got the better of you and forced you to lose the woman you loved."

He stiffened.

"What, boy? You don't think I know?" She rolled her eyes. "How I know does not matter. What matters is I _do_ know. And my duty is to see you leave this shop with a whole new perspective."

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Are you not listening to me? Are you daft, boy?"

He growled at her.

"Oh, get over yourself. You're no demon. You never were and you never will be. Can't you see your own foolishness is ruing the best thing you've ever had in your life?"

He slammed his fist onto the sewing table. "What the hell would you know about it?! I'm getting just a bit fed up with all your mubo jumbo answers and questions."

"Ha!" She barked back at him as she worked. "You think you know everything. So young. So foolish. So filled with rage just because you think your ignorant father doesn't love you. Are you really going to let that man kill what chances you ever have of being happy? Really?"

He still wanted to be angry with her. How did she know so much about his life. "Lad--"....."Andromeda," he corrected, "how do you know so much about me?"

"I told you," she sighed as if annoyed. "It doesn't not matter how I know. I just _do_. And you, child, would do well to simply listen and talk to me. You may never get this opportunity again."

He frowned, officially weirded out. This lady was just as nuts now, if not more so, than he'd originally thought. She knew more about him than even his siblings did. It unnerved him. It grated his last nerve... and yet.... what did he really have to lose? At the end of this he could just go back to his life, right? No more weird gypsy shop owners for him. Definitely not.

He sighed and ran a hand through his erratic strands. "Very well."

She smiled. "Good, this will be much easier if you cooperate. Now, let's start with that poor girl who's heart you broke."

"Hinata," he mumbled.

"Such a lovely girl. And so full of life. I recalled when I gave her this dress." She smiled as she threaded a needle to match the color of the gown. "And yet... she is full of much pain."

"Her brother," he said lamely.

She nodded and began to stitch by hand. Her voice was soft. "She is very upset about that. But it's not just her brother that has her in a tangle."

"What do you mean?" His eyes were curious.

"Didn't that Neji boy tell you earlier? It's something you must find out for yourself by asking her."

His jaw set. Once more her mysterious words were annoying him. "Then why bother mentioning it?"

She laughed softly. "To keep your mind on it, of course. You do love her don't you?"

For while there was silence. Not another sound was heard aside from her steady work with the needle. The bells around her ankles jingled every once in a while.

..."Yes."

"Then why do insist on hurting her?"

He grumbled. "Because she doesn't deserve me. I'll just end up hurting her. I don't want her to look at me..."

"Like your a monster?" She finished his sentence.

He nodded as he stared down at his hands on the table. "I've always been unstable," his voice was soft. "People are afraid of me. I don't want to hurt her like Hidan."

"Foolish," the woman muttered still working.

His eyes narrowed on her. "What did you call me?" This was idiotic! He he was trying to pour his emotions out and explain to this... woman why he couldn't be with the love of his life and she was insulting him! Why was he even still here?

Her tone was deep and she met his gaze and stopped sewing. "I said you were foolish."

The chair scraped across the floor. "That's it. I don't have to take this. I'll come by later to pick up the gown." He began to walk away.

"Gaara," the woman ordered, "sit down." Pause. "_Now_."

He stiffened but kept his back to her. He refused to turn around and take anymore of her verbal abuse. It was bad enough he hated himself. He didn't need some shop keeper making it worse.

"I refuse to finish my work on this dress if you do not do as I have asked."

Another growl tore through him. His eyes flashed and he felt like hitting something. He felt like tearing through every item in the store and being done with it. Leaving nothing but chaos in his wake.

But he did none of these things.

Instead, he turned around, tensely, and sat back in his seat.

"Let me explain something to you, child."

He snorted.

But she ignored it. "Have you ever hurt anyone when you get angry? Physically I mean."

"No."

"Well then," she huffed, "what makes you think you're going to hurt Hinata? No, don't answer. That was rhetorical. The answer is you won't. You never will. The only reason you are the way you are is because your siblings were too afraid of you as a boy to try and help you. And your father was too busy trying to turn you into a monster to care. He didn't even know he was doing it. That's the sad part." She tsked a few times. "Parent's can be such simple creatures sometimes. Especially when greed ruins what is right before their eyes."

Gaara said nothing. He didn't want to. She had to be wrong. Just like Neji.

"That girl cares about you a lot. And she's already been through hell trying to help you. It's hard to imagine why she still wants you. But there you have it." She eyed her work a moment, as if she couldn't give a wink about him. "She'd go to the ends of the earth for you."

He shook his head.

"Don't try and argue with me, child. I told you. I know these things. Do you honestly think by pushing her away you're saving her?"

"I'll hurt her. I'll--"

"No, you won't." She frowned. "I admit you have a terrible temper. But that's only because you've never had anyone around to help you curb it. Remember when you fought with Hidan? You could have killed the boy. But you didn't. Do you know why?"

He couldn't reply. The idea was lost to him.

"Because," she continued, "it wasn't just Hinata that helped stop you. You stopped yourself. You stopped yourself from giving into the rage and doing something stupid. She helped you. But in the end, it was all you."

Those words cut into him and he just stared at the table, like was seeing through it. The woman was right. He'd never been so angry in his life... and Hinata had brought him back. She'd helped stop himself. She had helped calm him enough to not kill anyone. Was it true, with time, that she could help him overcome his own demon?

"I could still hurt her. Maybe not now... but..."

"You're certainly right. You could. The future holds many unforeseen possibilities." She smiled. "But you still have a choice. You always will, Gaara. And I have a sneaking suspicion you will make the right one."

And for some reason... those words... even coming from a stranger... made him believe she was right. She was right. Neji was right. He wouldn't hurt Hinata. Not when he wanted to protect her so badly. Enough that he tried to lock her out of his life forever.

"It seemed you've made a good choice, Gaara."

"I have."

"Good, now," she placed the dress neatly folded back in the bag as she spoke, "my work is done here."

He didn't miss the double meaning in her words.

"Take the dress and go home. Mend what has been broken."

Another double meaning, he mused, not minding in the least. "You knew I'd come here all along, didn't you? Hinata as well."

She grinned, still holding her mysterious glow as she leaned into the table where she sat. "Maybe. Then again, maybe you both knew and I was the one who just happened to be here, hm?"

He found himself laughing softly as he took the bag. "Thank you."

"Anytime," she chirped as she watched his back turn. "By the way, Gaara?"

He paused at the door and turned to look at her.

"You're father loves you. He has his own demons. All parents do. Remember that."

He wanted to ask her what she meant as his eyes stared at the door. But as his eyes turned back to look for her with a question... she was gone. He blinked several times and looked around in confusion. He exited the room and glanced around the shop. Nothing of the old woman remained.

"Hey, what are you doing in there?"

"Huh?" He turned to his left to see a shop girl in apron with a very confused look on her face. "I was a.... talking.. to a woman. Andromeda Vega." He motioned to the bag in his hand. "She mended this for me."

The girl blinked at him like he'd grown a third eye. "You must be mistaken. Adromeda was my grandmother. She died five years ago and left the shop to me."

He looked stunned. "That can't be, I just saw her."

The girl pursed her lips at me. "No... I'm not..." she sighed and huffed. "Mama!" She called toward the back of the store. "She's up to it again!" The girl huffed when no reply came but a crashing sound of boxes. She turned back to Gaara. "I'm really very sorry. You're not shaken up are you?"

He shook his head lamely.

The girl grumbled. "She's been doing this a lot recently. It's slowly becoming a joke in the family." She sighed. "Nevermind. Can I help you with anything?"

"Ah... no," he said while still very confused. "Actually, I need to head out." He looked at the clock on the counter as he noticed the time. It was getting late.

She smiled sweetly and moved out of his way. "Very well. I certainly hope the appearance of my grandmother has not stopped you from coming back."

He shook his head as he stepped out of the shop.

"Bye then! Have a safe night." She shut the door behind him softly.

Gaara walked lamely down to the last step until he reached the sidewalk. Dead? A ghost? He shook his head, his mind spinning. Gaara was not a superstitious man by any means. None at all. Had this all been a figment of his imagination? Was it just his mind finally going loose on him?

_Mend what has been broken..._

Her words rattled in his mind, drifting on the breeze...

The message did not go without deep thought. No, regardless of whether or not it was in fact his mind playing tricks on him the old woman had been right. It would not stop him from fixing what he's been broken. He would make it up to Hinata.

He had to.


	17. Chapter 17

**..Chapter Seventeen..**

**..**

**.**

**..**

Gaara walked down the long corridor to his room with the bag in hand. He wasn't smiling. He wasn't brooding. He wasn't angry or intent with his steps like normal. If one could call it anything they might liken it with indifference. Still, considering his normal disposition it was a far cry from what people were use to. Some people stared, others blinked and others still didn't think it was actually him. Gaara Sabaku never walked anywhere or did anything without some sort of deadly intent in his movements or actions.

He wasn't looking at them. He didn't care. He never really cared. But today, right now, he especially didn't care. Someone could literally walk out in front of him and call him a fluffy bunny and he'd ignore them without so much as a glance.

Ok... he might glare... once. But that would be all.

It was still a far cry form the usual.

He wasn't exactly happy. But he was set on a goal. He had finally made a choice. Indecision was no longer his enemy. He was going to take a chance on Hinata. He was going to try to be a good person. Or at least not the person he thought he was. If for no one else than for her. He loved her. And love allowed you to make sacrifices. Andromeda said Hinata would do anything for him. Gaara was willing to walk to the ends of the earth for Hinata. He would fix what he had broken. He would mend what was fractured.

He clamored up the stairs with a hurried pace. He took special care with the bag and reached for the door knob. It was locked. He grumbled and dug for his key. He pulled the set out of his pocket and selected the right one. It slid into the slot with quickness and opened the door. A half smile crossed his features at the prospect of apologizing and explaining himself to Hinata. Would she forgive him easily? Would she need time?

He wondered for a moment as he glanced around the dark dorm. He figured she wasn't home. He had to assume she was still at Neji's. Thankfully he knew what room that was. He walked into her room, fully planning on dropping the dress off in closet. As he turned the switch on and light illuminated the room he filled with instant dread.

Every article of clothing, every trinket, every book and every shoe was gone. Her bed was stripped. Her closet was bare. Her drawers were pulled open. Nothing. Absolutely nothing remained in the room of the woman he loved.

Fear sliced through him as he tossed the bag on the bed and ran out of the dorm in a hurried frenzy. The door was left wide open as he dashed down the stairs. Hell, he jumped the last six steps and landed with a smack on the ground. His feet were off like a shot and he ignored everyone in his path. Students were dodged, cries of outrage were not responded to. His heart was going a mile a minute and all he knew was he had to get to Neji's room. He jumped stairs by the half dozen. He nearly fell and cracked his skull open a few times.

"Merde!" He cursed in French for no reason other than it was the first word than came to mind in his state of chaos.

He bounded the corner and ran down the hall. Once more people were ignored and threats were waved off. Once he reached Neji's door he slid to a stop. He began mercilessly banging on the door as he panted slightly. He didn't stop until someone finally swung the door open.

"What the hell--Gaara..." Neji blinked... and then his eyes turned hard and they narrowed. "What do you want?"

"Hinata," he muttered in desperation. "Where is she? Her room is cleaned out."

Neji looked around the hall as people started to gather. "Baka," he muttered. Tenten was getting to him in the language department. He drug him in the room and shut the door behind the red head. "Hinata left."

Gaara's lips turned to a flat line. "I know that. Where?"

Neji arched a brow. "Now you care? When she's gone? Why didn't you do something when she was still here?"

Gaara took a step back and sat down. He placed his head in his hands and dug his fingers into his scalp. "Damn it, Neji. I need to find her. I want to..."

"What? You want to what? Hurt her more? Make her cry? Make her feel like she's worthless?" Neji's voice rose with each word, each question. "You want to hurt her like Hidan? Are you still settling on that shameless excuse? What, Gaara? What's _changed_?"

"Damn it, stop it. I just need to find her. I need to make it right. I know you know where she's at. You can help me, Hyuuga." He stood up and walked withing about two inches of him. His eyes burned not just with possible rage but desperation and pain as well. "Please, you have to help me."

Neji crossed his arms over his chest as he gazed at Gaara levelly. "Give me a good reason, Sabaku."

Gaara growled. Had he not been through enough today already? First Neji, then that old ghost and now, finally when he wanted to do the right thing Neji was keeping him in the dark. "What do you want me to say?"

Neji snorted. "Oh, I dunno, how about how you feel about her? She's my cousin, for Kami's sake. I'm not going to go let you ruining her privacy when she's obviously hiding from you without a good reason."

Gaara's mouth parted slightly and his lids lowered defeatedly. "She's hiding from me?" Of course she was hiding from him. Why else? God he was an idiot. And now he might never have a chance to fix this.

"Yes. I should think that's obvious. You left her and now she left you. How does it feel to have your own medicine dealt to you?"

Gaara stepped back, his legs weak. He found himself sitting once more. His body was hunched forward. Pain pricked his senses. His heart felt crushed. He'd lost her. She no longer wanted him. He'd ruined it. Neji wasn't going to tell him. And even of he did she was probably long gone from the school. Maybe back home. Depending on when she left she was probably already on a bus or plane halfway home... wherever that was.

His body shook. He wasn't sure if it was in anger or in sadness. "Where is she?" His voice was hoarse.

"I told you before, give me a good reason to tell you." Neji's eyes narrowed as he looked down at him in the chair.

"You're not going to are you?" He felt despair in his voice.

Neji rolled his eyes. "You fucking hopeless, Gaara, you know that? Of course I want to tell you. Why the hell would I invite you in here otherwise?"

"To torture me for hurting her." His eyes shut tightly.

"No," he scoffed, "I told you I'm not that type to do the whole big bad brother routine."

"Then what do you want from me?!" He shouted.

"I want to know what intentions you have for her. Why should I go through all the trouble of letting you find her if you're just going to keep doing the same shit over and over again?"

"Because..." he whispered "...I love her."

Neji smirked slightly. "I'm sorry, I'm a little hard of hearing. Could you say that one more time? A bit louder?"

Gaara growled and stood up. "I told you, you jackass, I love her! Is this loud enough for you?"

All Neji did was smile. He said nothing for a moment. And then he cracked a grin. "I dunno, was that loud enough for you, Hinata?"

Gaara heard a movement from behind and turned swiftly. There, in the doorway to the bathroom, was Hinata. Her face was tracked with tears and rubbed red. It slowly bloomed with a smile. "Y-yes... it w-was." She couldn't almost contain her laughter as Gaara ran at her and lifted her off the ground. He embraced her tightly and hid his face in the crook of her neck.

"Forgive me," he muffled into her neck. "I treated you badly. I was afraid." He didn't know what had just happened. He didn't understand what Neji just did. But all he knew was he had the love of his life in his arms and she wasn't pushing him away. "I love you."

"I love you too." She was crying again. She was happy. He loved her. He didn't hate her. He wanted her in his life. He didn't hate her. She gripped him tightly and shut her eyes equally so. "I thought you didn't want anything to do with me. I thought I'd upset you."

He shook his head against her neck. Her body warmth, the feel of her, was seeping through him. He'd been so scared she'd left for good. The minute he was in her room he felt done for. Like all his chances were gone. He didn't want to go the rest of the year without her. She meant too much to him. "Never. I was just an idiot."

There was a slight cough to their right and both pulled apart a bit to look at Neji and Tenten. The upperclassmen was smiling in a slunk manner. "Now that my work here is done, why don't you two go back to your room so I can enjoy my own privacy?"

Gaara smirked and his lashes lowered slightly. "Hinata's stuff is all here, huh?"

"Hn..." He motioned to the corner. None of it was even packed up. There was a large blanket over the stack. His eyes turned back to Gaara.

Suddenly Gaara chuckled softly. "You never even planned on having her leave did you?"

Neji rolled his eyes. "Are you going to keep standing there or do I have to kick you out myself? Eh? I'll send her stuff up soon enough. Naruto and Sasuke owe me."

Gaara just gave a soft grunt before he turned with Hinata and left the room. "Make sure they don't break anything." And then the door was shut. He took Hinata's hand in his own and led her quietly down the hall. What he had to say to her he wasn't going to do in front of people. What he wanted to make sure she understood he couldn't do in front of others. They'd already had too much of their lives privy to everyone else. But he couldn't fault Neji. He wasn't sure this would have even been possible without him. Without him and the ghost.

When they reached his room he didn't even bother turning on the switch. He just led her silently to his room and shut his door behind them. He sat down on the bed and waited until she joined him.

"Gaara--"

"No, let me talk first. I owe you an explanation." He took her hands in his own.

"O-ok." Her smile was faint, worried.

He took a deep breath. He'd never talked to anyone about his life. He never even talked to his siblings about it. Oh, they knew, but not all of it. And it had taken years for them to finally overcome their fears and get close to him in some way. But he still never talked about it.

It was hard to find the words, but he persevered. She meant that much to him. When he finally found his voice, it was soft... it was strained.. and he forced it to calm. "I need you to be quiet for this, Hinata. I don't think I can get it out unless it's all at once, ok?"

She just nodded, eyes wide as she realized the depth of this for him.

He smiled slightly, painfully and looked down at their joined hands. "When I was born my birth was not an easy one. I caused my mother a great deal of pain. They had to preform a C section to finally retrieve me from her womb. And by that time she had already lost too much blood." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "She died because of me. And my father blamed me all my life."

Hinata wanted to speak. She wanted to argue it wasn't his fault. Gaara was a great man. Surely he did not think himself a murderer. Babies could not be held responsible for their actions. But she refrained. He'd asked her for silence and that would be what she gave him.

He continued. "My father may hate me, but expects the best from all his children. More so me than the others." He laughed bitterly and Hinata's heart went out to him. "Temari could come in two hours after curfew and he wouldn't dare to bat an eyelash. I come in five minutes late and he threatens to send me to a clinic."

Hinata squeezed his hand.

"He always told me if I disgraced our family name he would drug me up and lock me away. He said there was no way imaginable anyone would look on him or our family poorly if it looked like he was doing what was best for me. After all, everyone knew how unstable I was. He always made a point to tell them so." His eyes shut tighter. He couldn't dare look at her. Not while he got this out.

"I... " he let out a breath. "He was right. There were so many times I went on a rage. I've broken bookshelves and chairs." He smirked despite the situation. "I've broken so many priceless art pieces someone could open a gallery if I'd given them away instead." His grip on her hand tightened. "I'm dangerous, Hinata. I've... I've come so close to hurting so many people so many times." His voice broke, he felt something quaking in his gut. "I didn't... I didn't want to hurt you. That's why I tried to keep you out of my life. I cared about you too much to do that to you." He took in one shaking breath and said, finally, "I never wanted you to look at me like you looked at Hidan... It's one thing to be a demon, it's another to have the one you love most look at you as if you really are one. Anyone else... but not you."

Suddenly Gaara felt soft hands on his face, her thumbs were wiping away the wetness that he hadn't realized was there. And as she turned his face to look at her, holding him with her gaze when his eyes opened, he was stunned by the emotions rippling there.

"Gaara," she breathed with a look of tenderness and half closed eyes, "I could never hate you. Ever. No matter what you do or how you push me away, I will never see you as a monster. I _love_ you."

It was all he needed to hear. Nothing else mattered. He pulled her into his arms, crashing his lips to hers. She softened under him after the initial shock wore off. His slid his tongue past her lips and and caressed her own in the only way he knew. It burned, it was full of fire and passion. Everything he was and everything he wanted to imbue this woman with was in that kiss.

He was pushing her down onto the bed and his hand were fanning up her stomach. And it was then he started to shake. His hand crept along her flesh and he was finding out just how lost he was.

Gaara wasn't without feeling. He had had Temari hold him on occasion. and since sleeping in the same bed with Hinata he'd grown quite use to human contact. But, he knew where this path led. And he'd never taken it before. He didn't really know where to start. What she would want and what would hurt her or make her happy.

"Gaara?" Her voice was soft as she drew his eyes to her own.

He closed his eyes and released a shuddering breath. "I've never..." _Give me strength._ "I've..."

"Sh..." She whispered against his lips. "Neither have I." She'd known since that first night they stayed in the same bed together, the night Hidan.... she'd know then, by the way he'd reacted to her he'd never been with another person before. Not like this. And neither had she. She knew they both understood how it worked. But that didn't stop either of them from quaking in fear. Him, because he didn't want to hurt her and she because she didn't want to make him think such a thing was possible. He treated her like the most precious of items. Breaking her was an impossibility.

"Just love me," she whispered across his lips. "Just love me and everything else will come naturally." He was always so strong for her. And this time it was her turn to be strong for him. She would be his champion, his knight. "I'll be ok. I'll let you know if I need you to stop."

"What is I don't?" His voice rasped.

"You will." And before he could say another word she was kissing him again, rolling him over on his back and straddling his hips. With shaking hands, she reached up and pulled the top of her shirt off.

Gaara inhaled sharply and just watched.

_This time I wonder what it feels like..._

_To find the one in this life.._

Her eyes never left his. Her hands were still shaking. She was biting her lip as she unclasped the bra and let it fall. She bared herself to him. And the look in his eyes told her she was everything to him. It always did.

_The one we all dream of_

_But dreams just aren't enough,_

"Hinata," he breathed.

"Sh," she said, "no words. Now now. It's my turn." She slid off of his form and reached for the waist band of her skirt. With nervous hands it too was pulled off and abandoned on the floor. She held his gaze as he watched her, half sitting up on the bed. The next to come off were her underwear and shoes. And then she reached for him.

_So I´ll be waiting for the real thing._

_I'll know it by the feeling._

_The moment when we´re meeting_

_Will play out like a scene straight off the silver screen._

Gaara just stared, frozen, thrilled and aroused all at once. She was like a goddess. His perfect, stunning, unmarred goddess. His angel. His Venus. His Athena. "Beautiful," he whispered.

"I agree," but she wasn't talking about herself. Her hands fiddled with his belt and she pulled it free. The zipper was done away with before she lost her nerve, hands still shaking. She wasn't ready this and yet she was in so many other ways. She wanted this. She loved him. And no one was going to take this away from them. Ever.

_So I`ll be holdin' my breath_

_Right up to the end_

He managed to help her tug his pants and boxers down at the same time. He hissed at the feeling of air on his member. But Hinata was having none of it. Already he could feel her soft hands pulling at his tank top. He obliged her and she tossed it aside. And before he knew it, she was on top of him, her wet center sliding across his hard length. He gasped into her mouth and placed his hands tightly on her bare hips.

_Until that moment when_

_I find the one that I'll spend forever with_

He wasn't shaking anymore and neither was she. It was like a perfect dance. Passion and love mixed into one. She felt like she was glowing because of how much she felt for him. How much emotion was poured into this moment.

His hands were on her breasts, tentatively, and nervously caressing. He nearly came at the sound of her moaning into his mouth. Deciding that was definitely something she liked, he continued and eventually those same hands roamed up her back.

"Hinata..." He breathed against her mouth as he pulled her closer, flush to his body.

_`Cause nobody wants to be the last one there._

_'Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares._

_Someone to love with my life in their hands._

_There`s gotta be somebody for me like that._

She was on fire and dying all at once. The touch, the taste, the feel of him was doing her in. Was this what it felt like to love someone so whole heartedly they fit you like no other? They understood you like no one else? He completed her.

He let out a soft cry as she pulled back and positioned herself over him. He groaned softly at the feel of her wet lip rubbing against his tip. "Condom..." he managed.

_`Cause nobody wants to go it on their own_

_And everyone wants to know they´re not alone._

_Somebody else that feels the same somewhere._

_There`s gotta be somebody for me out there._

"Birth control," was her heated, weak reply. She almost smiled and the look in his eyes. But then she was gasping at the feeling, holding his gaze.

They locked, rippled and held. It was then she went about the slow process of sliding down his thick, pulsing member. "Gaara!" She tightened and stopped as she it that barrier. Her eyes almost crested tears. But she did not cry. She had to be strong for him this time. And she would be.

_Tonight out on the street out in the moonlight_

_And damn it this feels too right_

_It´s just like Déjà Vu_

_Me standin' here with you_

_So I´ll be holdin`my breath_

_Could this be the end?_

_Is it that moment when_

_I find the one that I spend forever with?_

"Hinata!" His voice rasped as his whole body tightened up. _She_ was tight. Every cell, every muscle in his body screamed move. Oh _God_. Nothing in his whole life ever prepared him for this; for the feel of her, the fire, the hot warmth that screamed he should just plunge upward. But he wouldn't, instead, he just lay there, panting, flushed, sweating and dying of want. "Hinata..."

'_Cause nobody wants to be the last one there_

_'Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares._

_Someone to love with my life in their hands._

_There´s gotta be somebody for me like that._

She wouldn't cry. This was the one time in her life she was not going to cry. She was going to be strong. She was going to be there for him. She could do this. She would. It was her turn.

_`Cause nobody wants to go it on their own_

_And everyone wants to know they´re not alone._

_Is there somebody else that feels the same somewhere?_

_There`s gotta be somebody for me out there._

She took on one final shuddering breath and pushed down until he filled her. A pain sliced through her lower body and she ignored it. Her body shook and she suddenly felt arms wrapping around her. His warmth bathed her, he soaked her in and loved her with his bare flesh. The smell of him, the taste, the heat made her force the pain away. It subsided and she finally stopped shaking.

"Hinata.."

_You can´t give up!_

_When you're Lookin´ for a diamond in the rough_

_Because you never know when it shows up_

_Make sure you´re holdin` on_

'_Cause it could be the one, the one you´re waiting on_

Her eyes flashed up to his, wide and full of bliss. The fire she found in his cold depths was enough to strike her with a force of feeling more powerful than she'd ever known.

"Gaara..."

'_Cause nobody wants to be the last one there._

_And everyone wants to feel like someone cares._

_Someone to love with my life in their hands._

_There has gotta be somebody for me_

_Ohhhhhh. _

She felt her body fall to the other side of the mattress, her head flouncing into the softness of his pillows. and then his lips were on hers and he was moving. She was crying out, not in pain, but in pleasure. It was building. It was like a need, a want, a desire. Stars danced in her eyes and pulled away from his lips to arch upward. She cried out as his lips fell her her breast, sucking, teasing, loving her. It shot electricity through her body.

Her hands dug into his back, clawing, digging. She heard him growl as he slammed into her harder.

"More," she cried out. "More." He was hitting something. And everytime he did, she came closer to the achieving that powerful peak.

_Nobody wants to go it on their own_

_And everyone wants to know they're not alone._

_Is there somebody else that feels the same somewhere?_

_There's gotta be somebody for me out there._

"Hinata!" He cried out into her neck, eyes shutting as he felt her muscles spasm around him. She hadn't come yet. But she was close. So fucking close. He was sweating, she was sweating. Everything was heightened, on edge. He'd never felt so alive and near death all at once. The only thing that came remotely close was music.

She was crying out, arching into him, gripping his shoulders in a vice and shuddering in his arms. She writhed as flecks of euphoria flashed in her eyes, curled in her toes and forced her body to flood with a new found bliss.

"Gaara!" He was silencing her with a kiss, moaning, pulsing and shuddering above her as he came shortly after her, spilling inside her. His breath came short as he released her lips. His body quaked, hair stuck to his forehead, his muscles rippled and ached in response. It wasn't just the physical pressure of the moment, it was the emotional.

He exhaled and opened his eyes. Cool blue green met with ice violet and he fell in love with her all over again.

Her hand reached for his as she interlaced his with her own as she stared up at him.

_Nobody wants to be the last one there_

_And everyone wants to feel like someone cares._

_Is there somebody else that feels the same somewhere?_

_There has gotta be somebody for me out there._

They were flushed, they were weakened from their loving making, they were sated and breathless. But, most importantly, they were in love, they were one and nothing would ever break them apart...

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

**AN:** Words would ruin this chapter. I'll leave you here and respond next chapter. -bows- Excuse....

**--Blade**


	18. Chapter 18

**..Chapter Eighteen..**

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**..**

Months has passed on without them ever really knowing it. Seconds passed into hours, Hours into days, days into weeks and weeks into months. And before they knew it the end of the school year came. In that short time, or what seemed like a short time, they'd gotten closer than ever. Smiles were passed, hands were held, notes were sent back and forth. Kisses were shared before public eyes and neither cared who saw. And it was then people, students and teachers alike, began to notice the changes in not only Gaara but Hinata as well. His deadly glares were minimized to those who looked at her too long and her shy stuttering was reserved for when, maybe, _maybe_ Kakashi poked her nerves a little too much.

Everyone noticed. And nobody said a word.

And on the final days people were packing up the classrooms. Papers were shuffled around, boxes were put away, final grades were printed and students ran about trying to make last minute preparations. Parents were already leaking into the halls, classrooms and dorms. Some were helping their adult children packs up early, while others were just there to offer a smile or an encouraging word or two.

Younger siblings ran through the halls and teachers laughed at their antics. After all, this was a college of dreams and illusions made real. People went on from here with a sense of pride and accomplishment. They went on to become great musicians in whatever field they chose for themselves.

And on the last day, in the center of the ebbing chaos were two people who could see no one but themselves. Lights flashed in the auditorium as Sakura finished her her piece. People were clapping. They filled the room to the brim. Some stood in the isles while others overflowed onto the floor in sitting positions. A row of professors sat in the very front and waited as the pink haired punk exited stage left.

One after one students came, preformed and exited stage left. And it came down to the final two.

Gaara glanced out past the curtain and his eyes narrowed on the audience. His sister and brother had already joined the crowd, taking their seats. He was glad they were here for him. He was glad they were here for Hinata. He watched as Sakura passed and took her seat. She caught his eye and gave him a sign of 'good luck' before scampering away next to Naruto and Sasuke.

He exhaled slowly as Hinata poked her head out too. Her heard her sharp intake of breath and looked at her wide eyes. "What?"

She blinked and pointed. "My father, Neji's uncle, is here. I expected my aunt, who's next to him, but not him." She bit her lower lip as his eyes traveled to where she pointed.

"You'll be alright. Ok?"

She nodded as he squeezed her hand.

"Hey.. Gaara?"

"Hm?"

"Who's that guy who just came in to sit next to Temari and Kankurou? He looks a lot like your brother..."

Gaara's eyes whipped up to the audience. His eyes searched frantically for his siblings. His gut nearly filled with dread as his eyes found the man he last expected to ever see here. His eyes narrowed. "My father," he whispered in answer. What in the hell was he doing here? The man who'd done nothing more other than ensure his existence always made it perfectly clear he didn't give a wit about his music. All he cared about was Gaara never slandering the family name.

"Oh..." She let the small opening in the curtain drop and turned to him. "We can do this, Gaara. Don't let him ruin your moment."

"Our moment," he corrected.

She nodded and gave a smile. "Right." They could do this.

Together.

"Sabaku, Hyuuga, you're on. Grab whatever you need and get on stage," a crew member stated.

Both young people nodded and took the stage hand in hand. Just because their parents were there didn't mean they were going to start hiding who they were now. A hush fell over the audience after the clapping ceased and the couple took their seats. The slights dimmed to a white ethereal glow. It wasn't too bright, but bright enough that when they cast directly down on top of Hinata and Gaara it made them seem like they were glowing with angelic presence.

They'd timed this down to the lights even. Each color would help set the mood. It wasn't just about the song alone. To get the feeling past they'd practiced for months it would have to be just right.

And when they started it was Hinata who let the tides begin to crash. Her eerie electric cello music set the mood. The sound was sad, searching, strong and weak all at once. It sent heartbreaking chills up the spines of those hearing it. And the lone white light was only cast on her. After she started it was then the drum beat began. It pounded with each heightened note and after a while she ceased completely. The white light left her and a red one flared bright over Gaara, lighting him up in a demonic glow. He beat into the drums furiously, showing his aggression and rage through the music.

And then they switched back and forth like that for a while. Lights changed, the two colors switched back and forth. And then, in a peaked moment they both started together. Her music wound with his, his beat wound with hers and together it made a sound like no other. The lights flashed together. Both were so wound in their element. They hardly noticed the smiles and shouts of joy over the performance.

All of this quickly faded to silence as Hinata went back to playing along sadly. And then she stopped as Gaara took over, his rhythmic beat pulsing, heated and sad all at once. And then, together, they ended the piece with a joyous climax as a blue lights engulfed them both. It signaled the end. So much so, that everyone stood and clapped.

The piece had been long, emotional, heated, and took both their breaths away. It was a story, a story in notes that told their life together. What they'd overcome, what they'd been through, how they'd come to together and how they'd found strength in one another.

They smiled at one another as they stood. They reached for one another, hugging and gave a light wave to the crowd as they exited stage left. Nothing could ruin that moment for them.

Nothing.

ooo

Gaara quickly found himself in the outside garden area where a hundred plus students had gathered with their parents. Refreshments were being passed around as teachers, parents and students alike mingled. There was laughter in the air, smiles dance around the large area. People clasped others on the back, some hugged and passed stories back and forth. Praise was being offer and some scolding was done to young children who'd gotten slightly out of hand.

Hinata had wandered off with her family and said she would be back in a few moments to introduce them. While this was going on he found himself alone, hands dug into his jean pockets as he watched the children play and their parents attend to them. The twitch of his pale lips was minimal at the sight.

He imagined the young girl was Temari and the little boy latched onto her hand was himself. And instead of the father taking him up into his arms, as he saw in reality, he was imagining him giving the boy a glare and pointing a firm finger at him for his actions. All the while his sister would be pursing her lips and trying not to frown as her father, a man she loved, hurt her little brother's feelings. There was nothing she could do but stay by his side. It was the very least she could do for him while he was in a state of tepid calm and not trying to thrash about.

And then the familiar threats would start then. He would first go on a tangent about how a young man, a young Sabaku, was to conduct himself. He would then explain further how it was his duty to uphold honor in the family. And then finally... he would threaten him by sending him away. He'd tell him if he didn't stop and behave he'd have him drugged up he'd forget everything about his life and become a shell.

Normal fathers did not tell five year old children that. Normal five year old children weren't suppose to understand what that meant. But, not justifying it of course, Gaara had never been normal. And neither had his father.

He watched the family wander away into the crowd, little girl firmly gripping her father's hand and the little boy held closely in his arms.

He would never have that.

_"You're father loves you. He has his own demons. All parents do. Remember that."_

The old woman's words echoed in his mind as if she herself was reminding him of that moment. And then he turned as he felt a presence behind him pricking the back of his neck. His five senses were on fire and everything went into a pause around him. There, in a shadow of light, was the old woman.

He wondered why he wasn't surprised, shocked or afraid. After all, everything was frozen around him. No one was moving. A bird was poised in flight as he stared at her. She stared, smiled and shifted on her feet. A jingle was heard and he knew it was the bells on her ankles.

Who was this woman?

"Hello, Gaara," her mysterious voice echoed like a angel.

His eyes narrowed on her, not in fear or anger, but in outright curiosity. "Who are you?"

She laughed jubilantly, as if his words were the most comedic thing in the whole world. "You always were an inquisitive child, Gaara. Even as a baby. You're father could never tolerate it."

"Again," he spoke coolly, "you talk as thought you know me. I'm not exactly buying into the ghost theory, but I'm not going to say your a witch or some other such nonsense either."

She arched a brow and stepped forward, bells jingling in an echo around them. "Oh? Why not? Is that so hard to fathom? Is it so hard to think the mysteries of life are real? Are the lines in your vision so strait and narrow you can't see what's dancing on the edge, child?"

He smirked slightly and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not playing your game anymore, woman. I'm thankful for your help, but I can't fathom why you're back again, daunting my life like a raven at the edge of Poe's door."

She laughed again. "Really? Can you not look into the reaches of your heart? Can you not see you still need me? That I am so throughly laced into your life you can never be rid of me?"

"_Who are you_?" He hated repeating himself.

She sighed, looking disappointed in him. "Can you not see, child? Can you not look into yourself, to those images held so strongly of your mother and not know? Look closely." Her voice was soft.

She seemed so insistent that he could only do as she asked. He eyes narrowed on her further and he traced the lines of her face, the curl of her hair, the move in her steps. There was something there, but he couldn't find it. "I know you..." And he didn't mean from the shop.

"Aye," she nodded with a smile, "you _do_."

He was still flabbergasted. _WHO_ was this woman?

"But," she said softly, coming up to him and taking his face in her hands as she stared into his eyes, "you were far too young to remember."

"Who..."

"Your mother's sister. Your aunt. It was my promise, my duty, to see that you were happy. That you turned into someone without hatred. A hatred your mother knew would be instilled in your heart without my guidance." She sighed and released him, "Alas... I could do nothing."

He was stunned. This wasn't possible. He stepped away from her, like he was burned. "You're lying, my mother had no family."

She shook her head. "You are wrong, Gaara. So very wrong." Her face was sad. "Do you ever wonder why your hair is the color of the flame? Why your eyes are so bright with passion? do you?"

He just stared, unable to find words, unable to believe her.

She explained. "You're mother was a gypsy. Her family went back generations in the Romani's. Some say we could trace out lineage back to the time of Cleopatra and Marc Antony. But, that is not what I am trying to tell you."

"Then why..."

"Listen to me, boy, you need to hear this now. If you don't you will never understand your father." Her face softened and he looked away. "Your mother was my older sister. She was loved by all. Men sought her favor like the flower seek the sun, like the bee wants the pollen and like the wave desires the shore." Her voice was soft and happy at the same time. "We were American. Solidified in the country but not lost to our roots. We were not rich nor were we poor. Our line of work was to make people happy by showing our talents in high circles. When I was a young girl our troop rivaled that or Barnum and Bailey. And yet we were something altogether different." She smiled.

"Your mother was our lead show. A dancer. She mastered the flame like no man ever could. She was exotic and... perfect in every way. Your father couldn't help but be drawn to her. He already had two children of his own, left to him very young when his wife died. It been an arranged marriage, but he still suffered the loss...." She still smiled, but sadly at the memories.

"When your Maria came to the stage at the social party for the rich and powerful... he was lost. She was his Venus, his sun his whole world from that moment on. I never saw her more happier in my whole life. That is... not until your birth." Her smile almost faded... almost..

"Your father defied convention and married Maria. He ignored his father and married her. They were happy---even poor. No matter how miserable it got, or how little money they had after his father disowned him for marrying Maria, they were always happy."

She looked up the sky, her eyes trained on a bird in flight still paused. "And then she became pregnant with you. She gave birth six months after the marriage. Six happy blissful months. My father never once judged her for conceiving out of wedlock. To a gypsy sex is something we give freely and love is something we give with care and caution."

Her eyes shut tightly as her head dropped. "Disaster struck during the birth. Your mother lost a lot of blood. I was with her the whole time. It killed your father when she died. When she passed on... something in him died as well." She paused for a moment. "Another six months went by and I was there for the both of you, Temari and Kankurou. I tried to ease your father's pain, but it was to no avail. He stayed with our troop until his father came." Her lips turned into a scowl. "The old bastard promised to take him back on a few conditions. One, the children could never know about Maria. Especially you. Two, he would have to uphold the Sabaku name for the rest of his life. And three, the name Maria and all that she was to your father would never be known to anyone. And four... I would never be allowed to see you or your family again."

She sighed and looked out in the distance with a sad, depressed and regretful gaze. "I tried to talk your father out of it. But he said, without Maria in his life everything he knew, everything she'd taught him, was like a stain of pain on his mind. The memories were too much for him and he would not be swayed. And so... he left. And since that day... I never saw you again." She turned to look at him, a smile in her fiery eyes.

"That is, not until you walked into my shop. And the moment I saw the Hyuuga girl, the moment I could feel your presence on her, I knew it was you. I made a vow to your mother, Gaara. On her deathbed she asked me to make sure you knew you were loved and that someone loved you in return. She left it to me to help you and guide you. Alas," her eyes turned pain filled, "I could not. Not when I had no idea where to look for you. You see, this is why I am here. This is why I am helping you. Into my own death my vow has not once wavered. I cannot rest until the ties you have with your father are renewed."

Gaara felt like his head was spinning with information. His mother... the woman he thought was his mother... was not. So much of his life made sense now. Why he looked nothing like his siblings, why he was so different from them, why his father hated him. He didn't excuse his actions... not in the least... how could he do this to him? How could he lie to him?!

"What do you expect me to do?" He almost shouted into the echoing trance of frozen time. "Talk to him? Tell him I forgive him? It doesn't work that way. He hurt me. He ignored me. He lied to me and made me think I was... horrible. How can you ask me that?!"

Her hands went to his shoulders as she stepped forward. "Because, Gaara, you are not a monster. You never were. You simply have the fiery spirit of your mother. You always have. And your father could never take that from you. He could never stand to look at the mirrored reflection of his dead wife. You are all he has left of Maria. And you are the spitting image of your mother." She gripped his shoulders tighter as she tried to convey her urgency. "That is why he stayed away, that is why he threatened you, that is why he was so much harder on you than his other children. He wanted to wash her from his memories by trying to wash you away, by trying to twist and change you into something she never was. Your tempter, your fire, you demonic movements and presence. It's all Maria. And it scares the hell out of him. You must understand that. You must know he would not be here today, watching you, if he didn't somewhere... deep down in his heart where Maria still lays... want to show you he cared."

Gaara shook his head. "This can't be real. You can't be real. How can it?"

"It is!" Her voice was raised. "Quit denying things like you always do because it might hurt you. Like with Hinata this will make your stronger. Everything will work out if you have faith in the unseen."

Gaara sighed and hung his head. He didn't know what to think anymore. Was she dreaming? Had he been knocked out? Was some higher power fucking with his mind?

She suddenly released him and stepped back. "You have to trust me, Gaara. You have to believe me. I've stayed far too long and told you far too much as it is. I'll be here... lingering, if you need me. But, remember, this you have to do on your own... you must..."

And then, without being able to say another thing... it all faded and went back to normal. The voices around him clamored back with raised interest and the sounds of children and people once more rammed into his ears. And yet all he could do was stare at the place the woman, Andromeda, his aunt, had just been.

"Gaara!"

He turned swiftly, still in a haze as his sister's voice hit his senses. There she was, running up him, a smile on her face as she drug her brother along. But he didn't look at either of them. The only thing he could stare at was the man behind them.

His father.

Dai Sabaku.

It had been almost a year since he'd seen the face that saw fit to hurt him, plague him, torment him with his offhanded insults every waking moment of his childhood until Gaara could take no more. He had turned Gaara into the man that he was. But Hinata, Neji and he supposed his ...aunt...--if he wanted to believe it--had changed him into the man that Dai would look at now.

He first gave his sister a warm hug and received a rather pitiful but funny mussing of his hair from his grinning brother. And then he turned to acknowledge his father. He gave a court nod, nothing more. "Father."

"Gaara.."

And then there was silence.

Temari and Kankurou stared back and forth between the two, as if waiting for the damn to break. Eyes narrowed and impassive looks were shared between the younger and older male. Gaara kept his hands in his pockets.

"Um... hey, Kankurou, why don't you come with me to get a drink, huh? I thought I saw Neji and Tenten over there and I want to say hello to Hinata's dad before the day runs out, ok?"

Kankurou frowned. "But I--."

"Let's _go,_" her voice ground out as she practically drug him across the garden. Obviously Kankurou was not good at catching subtle hints.

Neither male seemed to notice their disappearance. But they both knew. Who wouldn't? Temari was far too obvious for them.

Dai was the first to speak, his brown articulate brows raising upward. It made the spikes of his brown hair that rivaled his son's seem to go higher. "I watched your performance with the Hyuuga girl."

"Hn," was all Gaara replied with.

"It was," he paused, as if not knowing what to say, "...good."

Gaara blinked, literally, blinked at him. His form relaxed from it's stiff pose as the edginess wore from him immediately. It washed away like a small wave washes the sand off a shell on the beach. He hadn't done it on purpose. He was just so shocked his father had given him a compliment he didn't know what to say.

"What?"

"You're serious."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

He blinked--again. "You _never_ compliment me. On anything I do. _Ever_."

A single brow rose this time. And it looked like the perfect expression for man in business suit and tie. "You've never never done anything to warrant a reason for me to compliment you before."

Gaara's eyes narrowed and that age old defense was back up right away. His form became tense and his muscles, his arms, tightened with checked rage. He always did this to him. He always made him feel lower than scum. No one else cause quite a flurry of chaos in him to spin out of control wildly like his father.

His words were tight as he spoke. "You never gave me a chance to show you."

As if it didn't matter, he spoke in the same even tone he always gave him. Like he was a business associate of lesser value, like he was an employee or still a child who needed to be reigned in under a heavy thumb--his thumb. "You never asked."

He was starting to lose it then. And before things got ugly, before he lost his cool, before he embarrassed himself and looked like a fool for Hinata's father--a man he'd yet to meet--he simply turned and walked away. He was a grown man. He no longer needed, or would, rely on his anger, his fists and his rage to deal with Dai. No, he would act like and adult for once and just drop the situation before it flew wildly out of control. He found himself in the school, passing through the open double doors and walking down an empty hall. What he hadn't counted on however... was the old man following him.

"Gaara!"

He paused and stiffened again. His hands were in his pockets as he heard the double doors shut behind the older male. His back was to him. Like hell he'd give him the satisfaction of turning around. He'd hurt him enough. He'd caused enough pain in his life. He didn't have to take it anymore. Hinata had taught him that.

"You've never walked away from me before."

"Hn," he muttered, "things change."

Black depths narrowed on the stiff back of his son. He was almost shocked at his behavior. He'd expected him to yell, throw a tantrum, throw something or break a chair. He'd never expected him to calm his raging mind, turn calmly, and walk away. He was right... He'd changed. And he wasn't sure how to take it.

"I see college has taught you something after all."

Gaara turned slightly, one good eyes regarding his only parent as his hands remained stuffed into his jeans. He snorted. "No thanks to you."

His eyes remained narrowed. "And what is that suppose to mean?"

He shrugged, as if he couldn't care less. He was giving him the same cold shoulder he'd always gotten. "Nothing more than we both finally got what we wanted. I wanted to be gone and you wanted me out of the house." He smirked and his voice changed to an almost sad humor. "Glad you don't have to deal with me anymore? Happy you no longer have to explain away my terrible moments of rage to your _friends_? The demon is _gone_. You must be _so thrilled_." His voice was like venom.

Dai wasn't use to his son speaking this way. He wasn't use to him speaking more than five words to him in a collected, calm, logical manner. Gaara had always been a rare speaker. And anything he said him had always been insult or a slur of growls. Gone was the animalistic beast filled with rage that reminded him of his Maria in a base instinct and in it's place was a mature young man who had somehow obtained all her grace and whit.

"How could you..."

Gaara scowled and turned to face him, he tore the gap between them apart in five large steps. And when he faced him it was with the same heated passion as always. But this time he was in control. His rage, his temper, would not get the better of him. "You've always thought me a monster. Don't deny it. You always hated me. You always pushed me harder than the rest. Don't dare deny the last eighteen years of my _pitiful_ excuse for life now, _father_."

He stared blankly at him. "Is that how you see me?"

He laughed bitterly and waved his arms wide. "Is there any other way?"

Dai's eyes narrowed. "I love you, Gaara. If I treated you badly, it was not my intention."

"Bull."

He shook his head, arguing, "No, it's not. I have treated you the way I do because I knew no other way. You're were always headstrong, stubborn and prone to fits of terrible rage. I distanced myself from you and treated you differently because I wanted better for you. Coddling you would only have spoiled you. Going easy on you like your brother or sister would have only made you think you could get away with the behavior."

Gaara leveled his eyes on him. He had to be joking. Was he serious? "You put me through hell for eighteen years of my life because you though it would make me... better? You threatened me with drugs... because..." He couldn't believe this. "You're fucking insane. You know that? Ya think maybe after the first year or two of it not working a normal human being, a normal parent, would gotten the clue that, I dunno," he said heatedly, sarcastically, "that maybe it wasn't _working_?!"

Dai frowned. He'd never seen this much emotion poured out his son in such a trained, stilled, controlled manner. Had he ever known... Was it his fault? Should he have listened to him more? Should he have... No, that was the past. He had to believe what he had done for Gaara was right.

"And while were on the topic of stupid shit people do, how about you explain to me why you lied about my mother? Hm? To all of us, not just me." He smirked as dread filled his father's features and Gaara crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh, yeah, I know all about it now. My mother is and never was, Cassandra Sabaku. Her name was Maria."

"How do you know that?" His voice was a hushed whispered. No one knew accept the Romanis, him, the hospital Gaara was born at, and his father. His father was dead, the Romanis were on another coast and Andromeda... was long gone.

"Let's just say a little ghost passed the word along." His eyes narrowed. "You know, you've done some pretty hateful shit to me in the coarse of my life. And really, I could buy the fact that you were trying to do it for my own good. What I can't buy and I'm not even sure if I can forgive... is you lying about mom."

"Gaara...I'm... I.." For the first time in his life, Dai Sabaku was at a loss for words.

"Hn..." Gaara scowled. "Don't try and apologize. I can't stand to look at you. Not now. Maybe in a few hours. _Maybe_. And if you do come looking for me, and I know you might... then again your track record sucks in that department... make sure you have a good fucking excuse for what you did to me." He turned on his heel and walked away, his last words, "For what you did to all of us." Then he was gone... Leaving a broken, battered... torn man he called father to lick his wounds and to suffer his own shock in the hall.

"Oh... _Marc,_" a woman's voice said painfully from his side, a very familiar one he never thought to hear again--at least not in this life--and not saying his Romani name, "how _could_ you?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

**AN:**Ha ha! I bet you weren't expecting _that_ were you? Me either. The idea just came to me and I ran with it. Bet you can't wait for the next chapter. Me either. This thing should come to a head in about two or three more chapters tops.

For all the reviewers of the last chapter, thank you. I've written plenty of sex scenes before, ot as ff writers and readers like to call them 'lemons', but I've never done one quite so emotional. Many of them do involve a lot more sex, a lot more foreplay and a lot more teasing. But this was the first time for them both having that experience. And since we know both of them lacked in that department it was only expected they do it that way; in manner of a nervous, inexperienced, blushing couple testing the waters for the first time. I'm very happy with it and I'm glad you liked it.

**Replies To Chapter 16 ::**

**Alysha Amber ::** No problem. -gasp- Really? XD You might have to fight Kattylin for that position. She's been a faithful reviewer since my first Sasuke/Sakura fic.

**Shadowfox19 ::** Me either actually. I considered making it longer and having him argue with her more. But after rereading it several times I decided I was happy and posted it. After reading this chapter you're sure to know why she so easily convinced him even more.

**Gaaras-Gothic-Ninja-Sappy-Sue ::** -accepts homage, knights her out of sheer randomness- I dub you Gaara's biggest fangirl of Knightliness and all things Lemon! -grins- Domo!

**Replies To Chapter 17 ::**

**Shadowfox19 ::** Yeah! Good old Neji. He rawks my sox.

**WinterKaguya ::** Glad to see you back, dear! I know, it WAS mushy yummy. And... maybe no pregnancy, she is young, ya know. If I do something like that, it will be in an epilgue years in the future, of course. I'm considering it just for you.

**Just_Passing :: **Thanks and bet you could have! I was going for that! XD I'm very proud of that lemon. It's my second one done to song.

To everyone else who read or favorited... domo!

**--Blade**


	19. Chapter 19

**..Chapter Nineteen..**

**..**

**.**

**..**

Hinata was busy talking to her father. A smile lit her face. It was a real smile this time. Real. Her day had been wonderful. Her performance with Gaara, the cheer of the audience, and now of all things, her father was here. He was congratulating her. Congratulating! Of all things. It seemed so surreal. So... weird. All her life her brother had been the bright light in her life and he had been the star of the family. Her father had never taken notice of her. He'd never hated her but he'd always pushed her aside. Her and Neji both. It was like she was looking at a totally different man.

During the her months in the hospital, sleeping and healing, blaming herself, he'd been there. A broken after image of the man she once knew. He'd lost everything when he'd lost Vaughn. They all had.

When she'd told him she wanted to go away for college he'd been shocked, worried and said no the first time. She hadn't understood. It had taken her a while to realize he'd always loved her. And he himself hadn't realized how important she was to him and vise versa until they lost her brother so tragically.

And now here he was. He wasn't fully recovered from the loss. And he was still the hard man she knew he had always been. But, he was proud of her. He was happy for her. He'd hugged her for the third time that day and told her how much he cared. Affection was no longer a weak expression in her home, her family.

"So, Neji, your piano performance was impeccable. The duel you had with Tenten was very riveting." Hiashi's lips twitched before he took a sip of his drink.

Hinata stood next to her cousin and Tenten. She could tell even Neji was slightly taken aback by her father's compliment. He'd always lived with them. Ever since the death of his father, her uncle. His memory was one she would never forget. He'd died protecting her father in a shooting. It was a terrible loss and when Neji was younger he'd blamed his uncle. He'd grown out of it after a while. Or maybe he just hid it well. She wasn't sure. But now... with her father acting slightly out of character... it seemed perhaps many old ties were starting to reconnect and mend.

"Thank you... sir," Neji responded.

Tenten smiled brightly. "Your nephew is an amazing man, Hyuuga-sama. He composed the entire piece. I did very little."

Neji scoffed, his uncle forgotten for a moment. His eyes turned to the brunette. "Now you're being modest. Did little, indeed. It was your idea to have the dueling pianos in the first place, love."

Hiashi arched a brow as the young woman blushed slightly under her boyfriend's scrutiny. "You're together?"

This time is was Neji who blushed at the sudden question. Not out because of the question itself but more out of embarrassment. It was Tenten who had to reply.

"Yes, Hiashi-sama. We've been together for over a year now. Happily."

Neji held his breath. It was the first time in his life he'd ever told Hiashi about a girl in his life. He'd always wanted to avoid the look. Not even words. Just the look he would receive. Even poor Hinata had been afraid to date as girl because of the heated way her father dealt with the household. The strict discipline.

Hiashi surprised them all by smiling softly. He held his hand out to Tenten. "You are a talented pianist, my dear."

Shyly, she took his hand and shook it. "Thank you, Hyuuga-sama. You are most kind,"

He released it. "Sama?"

"Yes, father," Hinata spoke up, praising her lack of stuttering even in his presence. "Tenten was born in Japan originally."

Tenten nodded. "Hai, arigatou, Hianta-sama." She grinned and turned her eyes to Hiashi. "Sama is an honorific, or a suffix. It's used like your Mr.. Accept sama is more like Lord or Lady in terms of comparison."

"Well," Hiashi stated looking a little bemused, "I'm not sure I'd call myself that. But the respect is appreciated all the same."

Neji turned to Hinata. "Hinata, where is Gaara?"

Hinata frowned, realizing she'd almost forgotten about introducing him to her father. She looked about, turning and scanned the crowd. "Hm, I'm not too sure." She looked at her father. "Can you excuse me, father? I need to find a friend. I'd like you to meet him."

Hiashi nodded. "Very well. I shall see you at dinner if nothing else?"

"Oh, yes! Of course! But it shouldn't take me _that_ long." She smiled sheepishly. Dinner indeed. It was still the middle of the day.

He nodded. "Alright. But just in case I'll see you in the dinning hall later. If I'm not here when you come back just give me a call, ok?"

"Yes, father. Bye!"

He waved and she dashed off before he went back to conversing with Neji and Tenten.

She walked around for what seemed like a half hour. Face after face was scanned. Eyes were caught in her line of vision. She asked a few of her friends, a few classmates, a few parents and teachers. But no one had seen Gaara. Just where had he run off to now?

It was after some long looking, thinking, and not finding him at all that Hinata found Kankurou and Temari.

_Finally,_ was her thought on all of this.

"Temari, Kankurou, have you seen Gaara? I've been looking for him for a half hour with no luck whatsoever." As soon as the words flew out of her mouth both teens seemed to look slightly nervous or off put. "Is something wrong?"

"Ah... yeah," Temari smiled faintly.

"Dad came to the school," Kankurou muttered bitterly.

Temari sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm sure Gaara has told you by now. You've been with each other long enough. He has hasn't he?"

Hinata nodded. "Yeah, I know all about it. He told me his dad hates him. That he threatened him all the time with drugs and a hospital." Her face turned to pure disgust. "What kind of guy does that? I mean, my dad was hard on me, Neji and Vaughn. But he would have never threatened us with that."

"Dad is a jackass, but he loves us. In... his own way. He was always harder on Gaara. Gaara use to be a terror. I mean, until recently. But I still don't agree with the way he went about trying to make him different." Kankurou grunted and placed his hands into his pockets.

"Well, anyway, they talked. I'm not sure what went down, but Gaara walked back into the school and dad followed. If I was looking for him, personally?"

"Yeah?" Hinata asked her.

"I'd try the roof. He hasn't had much need to go there..." she smiled, "since you of course. But if he's pissed at dad, that's where he'll go to calm down and think."

She hugged her good friend briefly. "Thank you." Then she was running off towards the school. She was worried about him. If his dad pissed him off there was any number of possibilities. She didn't think he'd succumb to his own anger, but she'd never seen him around his dad. While it was true Gaara had grown out of his old habits like she had her shy nature, she had no idea how he'd react to an abusive father. Yes, abusive. That's what she called it. The word had never been spoken between them or anyone else. But that was how she viewed it.

"Please be ok, Gaara," she whispered as she frantically pressed the elevator button.

ooo

"Oh... _Marc_," a woman's voice said painfully from his side, a very familiar one he never thought to hear again--at least not in this life--and not saying his Romani name, "how _could_ you?"

He turned swiftly, his ebony depths catching in that direction. His breath caught. His heart rammed in his chest. He felt his blood rush. Fear was naught what sliced through him. No, disbelief. Sadness, joy, pain, grief... these were all things he felt in that moment. He felt tears well in his eyes as he took a staggering step forward.

"Maria... is that... are you..." His hands shook. He wanted to reach out and touch her. He wanted to see if she was real. Her apparition of red flaming hair like his son's called to him. Her honey toned skin was so unlike his own pale alabaster. Her features were much more cut and refined than his own. Where she was like sleek, angular colored glass he felt dull and lifeless.

Her hourglass figure was swathed in a flaming red, yellow and orange dress with thin straps, no sleeves and a V neckline. It danced around her bare legs. Black sandals covered her feet.

She was a goddess.. his Venus... he never deserved her. And right now he felt that more than ever as she seemed to regard him with a mix of anger, hurt, passion, rage and disappointment.

"Yes, it's me," her voice boomed in an echo, her exotic undertones apparent. "How could you, Marc? How? He was my only son and you..." Her hands clenched to fists and her eyes drew tightly shut as her head angled down. "...you made him think he was not loved. You betrayed me. You betrayed my family. _Your_ family. _Why_?"

His throat felt dry. He wanted to ask her how she was here, how she was alive. But he could tell, by the glow that seemed to fall off of her in waves she was not alive. Whatever she was, he was glad for this moment, this chance. But despite all his questions, he was grief ridden by the sight of her.

And now she had questions for him. He swallowed and willed himself to speak. "When you died..." He sighed. "I lost everything. You were my whole world. And you left me with a son. I..."

She shook her head at him, walking towards him, her finger poked into his chest. "You are a terrible man, Marc. You are no longer the man I loved, the man I pledged my life to. You sided with your father, a man you hated, one who never understood you, just so you could escape your pain. You justified your actions by saying the children need a life of provision."

"They did, Maria!"

"Then explain why my son was treated like..." she fumed, expressing herself with her hands as she paced. ".._gunoi(1)_!"

He raked a hand through his short, spiked brown strands. She was beautiful when she was mad. She was so passionate. It was the same reason he was so hard on Gaara. His eyes... his hair.. the heat of gaze. It was all Maria. He'd never wanted him to endure the kind of life she had. "I didn't want him to end up like we were. I never wanted him to go through what I went through with you."

"Like what, _Marc_? Poor? Is that what you call it now? Was my family truly that far beneath you?" She scowled. "So now the truth comes out? Hm?"

"No!" He shouted!

"We were happy, Marc. That was what mattered. Not the money or the million dollar homes. We lived within our means." Her eyes turned soft. "Are you saying you were not?"

He sighed and held her eyes. "No, we were happy. But I was young. You have to understand I could have never really given them the life they deserved there. With the Romanis. We might have been happy, but we would have been..."

"And this is how you justify hurting my son? Threatening him with _drugs_?" Her eyes narrowed as her arms crossed over her chest.

"No... there is no justification for that. I.. I went to far with him. I see that now." He took a few steps back and slumped against the wall. "I suppose it was just a combination of things. I loved you. I still do. And everytime I saw him all I could see was you, laid out on that hospital bed, bleeding... dying." His hands turned to fists. "And then another part of me just wanted him to succeed in life. I wanted him to overcome his rage." He laughed bitterly and turned his head to stare down the hallway. "He's so much like you. So much... and then some. I had no idea how to deal with a raging three year old. He had temper enough to break anything in his path even at that age. At least anything he could reach."

"Hn..." She muttered. "You would not have had that problem had you allowed Andromeda to stay with you; had you stayed with the family or at least kept in contact with them."

He spread his hands wide. "And defy my father? Give up their futures? Be disowned again?"

"Ha! Coward!" She shook her fist at him. "You defied him many times. So what? You could have went back to my father, back to your real family." She crossed her arms over her chest and took a sensual aggressive pose. "That aside, what's stopping you now? Hm? He's dead is he not? And yet you still lie to my son." She turned and started pacing again. "But he found on his own. Didn't he? And that's why you're in the position you're in now."

His shoulders dropped and he hung his head. "Tell me what to do, Maria. How do I fix this?"

She regarded with an almost sneer. Her temper, even in death, was not had not ebbed. Her arms remained crossed and her eyes blazing. "You need to apologize to your son. As many times as it takes. You need to tell your other two children the truth. And then you need to prove to him you can be a good father. Finally, and as a show of good faith to me, because you owe me that much, you need to introduce your new family to your true family."

"What if he does listen to me?" His voice was weary and tired. His face was etched in grief. Sad because of his dead wife, his actions and the way his son saw him. How had he never known? Was he really such a hard man? The more his mind backpeddled the more he realized it was true...

"He won't. Not at first. But you are still his father. He will never wash that away, just as you can never wash me away from him no matter how hard you tried without realizing it."

He nodded and felt soft hands on his shoulders, pressing through the fabric of his suit. He felt lips on his forehead. Her lips. He watched as she drew back and smiled at him.

"I will always love you, Marc. Always. No matter how many stupid things you do." She held his face in her hands. "Go to your son. Make it right. Somehow." And then she was fadding away in a glorious light.

He reached for her, pain etching across his face. She was gone. At the very least, he realized, he should be grateful for her interference at all. She always made him see straight. Always. And she'd brought him back to where he should be and made him realize what a fool he'd been.

"Thank you, my Maria..."

_"You're welcome.., my Marc."_

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**AN:** I hope you all liked this chapter. There should be one more after this and maybe an epilogue. -smiles- and yeah, I was too tired to check for mistakes XD. So forgive me for any errors and just overlook them. I might fix them tomorrow.

After this story I'll be starting another one called Sinch In Time. I'll leave a summary for it as a last chapter in this one. If you interested it's a Kakashi/Sakura pairing with a twist. One that makes sense too.

**(1)Gunoi** - Means trash in Romanian a gypsy language.

Thanks for all the reviewers to this chapter: **Shadowfox19, JennieBennie, WinterKaguya and Akansuna no Akane.** Everyone pretty much said the same thing. I'm glad it got such a wave of positive feedback. I was a little worried, I must admit, since the story did take a new turn and twist. But I think it went well.

**--Blade**


	20. Chapter 20

**..Chapter Twenty..**

**..**

**.**

**..**

Wind tousled his hair as the methodical hum of the city whispered past his ears. His forearms could feel the cold concrete barrier beneath them from where he leaned at the edge. One booted foot was flat against the hard ground; the other knee was bent as the front ball of his foot dug only slightly just behind where his first was planted.

His cool aqua depths were not wide or narrowed, only soft and lazy as he watched the tips of the skyscrapers. Within these walls of a young musicians was a paradise and beyond them was a city of dreams and destruction. You could just as easily be made as you could be broken---in a flash.

He could not rid himself of the broken image of his father no matter how hard he tried. The tired look that suddenly appeared in his eyes and washed over his features. It was like a totally different man from the one he saw only moments ago. One minute he was a confident aired antichrist he'd always though him to be and the next... the shadow faded from him, the falsity. It was almost like the old man himself didn't realize just how much he was holding in, or how much he was lying not only to Gaara but to himself.

Was it regret?

He wanted to snort in agitation and disbelief. He wanted to continue to view him as the hateful man that had made his life a hell. The way he treated Temari and Kankurou was not plainly better, but he had only ever been a hard ass to them. And unlike Gaara he'd shown how he cared about them on numerous occasions. He knew he'd been a terror as a boy and it was only recently he'd gained control of his emotions more fiercely. But that look in his eyes, that need to feel cleansed of something did not make it all better for Gaara.

He'd endured eighteen long years of wasted and pitiful torment at the hands of a man he'd seen a sadist. And now... he only just found out what a horrible lie it all was. His mother, or who he thought was his mother, had never been his mother. She had a family, if the people running the shop were any indication. Had he been staring into the eyes of a would-be cousin that day? The day the girl ushered him out the front door with an apology?

The need to find out overtook. Who were they? Where did they come from? His aunt had said gypsies, Romanis, right? Yes, but were they still alive? And if so how could he find them?

It was during these thoughts he felt arms wrap about his midsection, familiar breasts press into his backside, a knowing warmth spread like a calm over his body.

Hinata.

He didn't move from his position, but he did reach down and curl his fingered into hers. "Hey."

"Hey..." He could feel her smile against his back, near the center curve of his shoulder blades. "I looked for you for a while." Her voice was soft and accusatory. "I wanted you to meet my father. When I tried to find you Temari and Kankurou told me what happened... sorta. She told me I'd find you here." A pause. "You ok?"

He nodded and looked downward at his arms.

"You wanna talk about it?"

He nodded. When he felt ready to he began to explain. He started from the beginning. He told her about the old woman who looked eerily young and what she'd convinced him to do in regards to Hinata. He told her about the ghost bit with the shop girl. He skipped by month and went onto what he went through earlier when she left him in the crowds.

He told her everything Andromeda had told him; everything he'd said to his father and how it was all confirmed. His mother was not his real mother. By the end of it he found himself more confused and more upset than when he'd come up to the roof to begin with.

He felt her pull away from him and stand next to him. Her hip was dug into the wall, her forearms resting there as she leaned in. Lazily, the hand attached to it just hung. "Again, are you ok?"

In the months that had passed she'd become his listener. And the more she listened and said nothing the more he'd talked. And then when the roles reversed he found it hard not to jump in and comment just because it was her. He admired her for her ability to silence her thoughts and give one person all of her attention.

"Yeah, I think. It's just going to take some time to get use to. The idea."

She nodded. "And your father?"

"What about him?"

She frowned at his obvious avoidance of the topic. "Andromeda said you needed to fix things with him. Aren't you going to?"

It was then he gave into the urge to snort at the idea. "He did this to me, Hinata. Not the other way around. If anyone needs to fix something it's him." His eyes turned to the blue skies as the afternoon sun bore down on his back. "He hurt me. He threatened and ignored me. He never once asked me about my life or school. He never cared about my music. The only thing that ever mattered to him was how well I was upholding the family name. Nothing more."

"But... he did come today..."

His eyes flashed to hers and his lips drew a flat line. He had to remind himself that this was Hinata. She wasn't his sister or just some random friend trying to talk to him. She was his guiding light. And even if she was 'almost' arguing with him her intentions were good and only held his best interest.

"So he could make sure I was doing right by the name. I told you. It's all he cares about." He stood strait, one hand flat on the concrete barrier and the other hanging at his side as he turned his body to face hers. "Why is this so hard for you to understand? I've explained it before."

She nodded and clasped her hands together in front of her. "I know. And I'm not saying he's a nice guy. I've never even met him. But, in a way, I do get the... stupidity of fathers."

He knew she did. Her own had been a hard ass. And she'd been just as neglected as him. She wasn't tormented, but she had been neglected.

She smiled at him. The expression seemed so uncharacteristic considering the situation and the conversation. "Mine came too; remember?" She waited for his nod. "He's not the same man anymore."

Gaara arched a brow.

"He's not. He's... kinder. I don't know how to explain it. He hugged me today. He congratulated me and Neji. I think... I think Vaughn's death and the time away from me and Neji made him realize how much we really meant to him." She smiled brighter. "You have no idea the weight it lifted from my shoulders. The pain was always there, even after you comforted me and gave me strength I never knew I had. But," she clasped her hands in the center of her chest, "to finally have that sense of closure with him finally helped me get over Vaughn's death today." Her eyes turned and held his. "I love my father and he's always loved me. There were just too many things, to many ideas that got in the way. I'm not happy the cost of my family's happiness came at the death of my brother... but I am thankful for it." She stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"If you forgive him you won't be doing it for him, you'll be doing it for yourself."

He let the words sink into his mind. Hinata was a wise woman indeed. Those eyes saw things he himself could never imagine to sort out. The tremors in his heart were too strong, too torn for years of anguish and pain to even consider it. But everytime she talked to him it made him realize more and more how blessed he was to have her. They complimented one another. Where Hinata could be demure and withdrawn he could be strong and overbearing. Where he could be lost and rampant in his own thoughts she could calm the storm and make him see the reality of what needed to be done.

With softening features he said, "You're right."

She nodded and gave him a hug. "I'm going back downstairs. Are you coming? My father is still waiting to meet you."

"Sure."

They both went hand and hand as they headed towards the elevator. He pressed the button and waited with her for the steel contraption to open it's doors. It was with unexpected eyes he found himself face to face with his father. All three of them just stood there for a while, staring at one another. It went on for so long that the doors began to shut. Because of the trance he was in he didn't even realize it. Hinata was the one who finally grabbed the doors and made them reopen.

Gaara swallowed, his throat suddenly very dry. All those mixed feelings came back. Anger, hate, sadness, rage and of course... disgust. Not at the old man, but at himself. He always felt like scum in his presence. Would that ever change?

As he stepped out of the elevator Hinata stared back and forth between the two. After a long moment of silence and deliberation she moved inside the elevator. "I'll meet you downstairs, Gaara."

He wanted to argue with her.. to tell her to say or to wait so he could go with her. But the conversation he had with her came back at full force. _If you forgive him you won't be doing it for him, you'll be doing it for yourself._

Did he really need it that badly? Hinata had been trying to tell him to release the hate and anger he felt. Her words were meant to encourage him to forgive him so he could move on not so his father could. He was a better man now. He no longer needed to pain the older male drove into him to survive, to be strong. He was a better person now. Not the shell this being tried to mold him into, intentionally or unintentionally.

"Well?" He was steadily losing his patience with him already. "If you have something to say spit it out. I don't have all day to waste on you. Other people are waiting on me."

Dai appeared unfazed by this for the most part, but Gaara faintly saw what he thought might have been a visible wince.

"I..."

"_What?_"

"I'm sorry."

Gaara snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "And that makes up for it?"

"No," he agreed, his eyes not able to meet his son's. "It doesn't." A pause. "It probably never will."

"At least we can agree on something," he retorted.

"I never meant to hurt you," he started. "You have to know that."

"Then what did you mean to do? Hm? Turn me into your perfect ideal of a son? Was pushing me away and threatening me with drugs your brilliant plan in all of this?" His eyes were hard. He wasn't going to make this easy for him.

"No... " He sighed, his body slack and his form full of ache. "I guess I never really realized what I was doing to you. I... I loved Maria with my whole being. I gave everything I had to her and when she died... I never really came back the same. Andromeda, your aunt, tried to help me. But all I could see was how I perhaps somehow failed my wife. How I was somehow going to fail you three children." He took a step back and leaned into the wall, his body slack. "The life we had with the Romanis was a good one, but it was never a life you three could hope to have something more out of. You would never have had the opportunities I'd had. A life free of worry, free of want."

Gaara's lips twitched into a half scowl.

"I suppose that's why I was so hard on you. Why I felt the need to make sure you got into this school without question." He smiled but it was bitter and full of regret. "When I told you I didn't need to see you play... I never really realized what I'd said. All that was going through my mind was the need to make sure you got into a good school and accomplished whatever you wanted."

He ran a hand through his brown erratic strands in a worried, upset manner. "I never knew how to deal with you as a child. That temper... It was something I never understood. It was something I loved about your mother." His eyes drew up to Gaara's. "You're the spitting image of her you know."

"So I've been told..." he drawled. "None of this excuses what you did, you know. You put me through hell. One apology and a heartfelt bedtime story doesn't erase that. You lied to me. You lied to all of us. About mom and about a family I didn't even know I had. You robbed me of it. Can't you see that?"

He nodded. "I know... And I regret all of it." His eyes shut tightly and when he spoke it was more to himself than anyone else. "She was right... I should have told you sooner."

Gaara regarded him for a long while. The man before him was a shadow of his former self. He was broken, grief stricken and years of hate were finally weighing on him. He could almost believe he never really recognized what he was doing to his youngest son simply because the change was so evident now, so raw. It was like he'd been living with blinders on. Blinders filled with pain and anguish over the loss of his wife and the sight of his son in the way he always reminded him of her.

He imagined he if ever lost Hinata he'd be just a broken. But, if they ever had children? If it went that far? He'd never treat them as he had been. He'd sooner take his own life than put them through that. The cycled stopped here. His grandfather had done it to his dad and in a way his dad had done it to him. No more.

"It's going to take time, father. You're going to have to show me just what kind of man you want to be. But.."

"But?" His eyes shot up, pain laced through. Pain and hope.

Gaara's narrowed. "I'm not doing this for you, let's get that strait right now. I'm doing it for myself. I don't need you anymore. I don't need that rage you forced to come out of me in an uncontrolled state. I don't need any of it anymore."

He nodded.

"But... I forgive you."

....."Thank you."

"Hn..." He took a step forward and hit the elevator button. "The cycle ends here," he said more for himself than his father. As the door chimed open he gave his father one final remark. "I'll see you at dinner. Don't screw this up." The door shut.

He waited ten or fifteen minutes more before leaving the roof himself. He wasn't better, nothing really was. However... it was a start.

"It's a start, Andy," a woman's voice echoed in the clouds. "It's not perfect... but it's a start."

"Aye, Maria, aye..."

ooo

Hours passed and everyone quickly found themselves seated in the large dining hall at the long benched tables. Chatter rang all over. Like earlier in the garden, parents and children alike talked. Students received praise and people laughed. The air was warm with joy and freshly prepared food.

Gaara sat next to Hinata. Next to her was Neji and Tenten. To the other side of him was his brother and sister. Across from them both was Hiashi and his father. Hiashi, he found, was indeed just as Hinata had described him on the roof. He didn't seem the least bit upset when Hinata told him her 'friend' was in fact her boyfriend for a whole few months now. If anything he seemed happy to find out Gaara was the one to bring her out of her shell and turn her into a happy young woman he now saw.

Apparently all he'd ever wanted for his daughter was for her own strength and courage to shine through. It's why he'd always been so adment about her cello lessons. The music was intended to help her gain confidence and courage.

He still wasn't sure how he felt about his own father. And talking to him regularly like he was now seemed so... odd. He was making polite conversation with everyone. He'd even complimented Hinata on her playing with promoted a conversation to ensue between their two fathers about composition and music theory. It then led to a talk about famous musicians and pieces throughout history. He was surprised to find his father enjoyed Chopin, one of his own favorite composers. He supposed it was one of many things he was going to learn about him if this kept up.

And he was surprised to find he wasn't the least bit bothered by it.

"Gaara!'

He turned to the voice calling him. It was Naruto.

"Neji, Tenten, Hinata, Kankurou, Temari!" He shouted.

Six sets of eyes turned him with quirked brows, smiles and questioning expressions as he made his way down the isle.

He jutted a finger to the stage with a grin. "Come on. We're all getting together. We're gonna play and sing. Just for fun."

"Hm.. Alright." Neji agreed and Tenten nodded.

"What the hell," Kankurou spoke as she stood.

"Sounds like fun," Temari provided.

Gaara looked at Hinata who looked at Naruto. "But... I don't have my cello."

Gaara shrugged. "Sing with the girls."

She smiled. "Alright."

All of them followed Naruto to the stage with half a dozen other people and students. Many of them were from their large group. Neji grabbed one side of the piano and Tenten the other. They smiled at each other. Naruto took to the violin he'd brought with him and hooked it up. Sai's mixing set was still hooked in to the speakers he found as he happily readied himself. Sakura, Ino, Temari and Hinata took to two mics and got ready with a smile. Everyone else just took their own place and got ready.

The music was infectious, Gaara decided as he beat hellishly into the drums. His eyes turned to his father in the audience. And for the first time in his life he found formerly hard and calculating eyes to be ones filled with pride, regret and mix of... hope.

He turned his gaze to Hinata with a smirk. The future wasn't perfect. But... as long as she was in it that's all that mattered to him.

And above the crowd playing his eyes drifted and were drawn. There... standing weightless in a glow of ethereal lights he saw two women. One with flaming red hair like his own and another with black. Andromeda... and his mother? His breath caught as they both smiled.

_"I love you... my beautiful little boy. I'll always be with you. Remember that."_ Her voice rang in his head and he knew it to be hers.

_"I'm proud of you, my nephew. You overcame your own demons and forgave."_ His aunt.

As they faded from sight, back to wherever they came from Gaara was filled with a renewed sense of calm.

Yes... he was at peace. He still had a long way to go with his father. It wouldn't be easy like it had been for Hinata... but? Who could argue with a ghost?

...

_Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent. **~Victor Hugo**_

...

**The End**

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**AN:** Well, folks, that's the end. That's all there is and there isn't any more. I hope you enjoyed it. If I end up writing and epilogue it won't be for a while. So, keep this story on alert for when it does show up.

The only person I think that had a question was WinterKaguya. His mother didn't appear years earlier because I imagine maybe she couldn't. We all know things happen for a reason. And in the spirit world? Who knows. I'll just chalk it up to waiting for the right moment in time. -smiles-

Thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting and much, much more. Very shortly I'll have that summary up for the next story. Just watch for it. -winks-

**--Blade**


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary of Sinch In Time**

_Six years have passed since the Chuunin Exam and everyone has of course grown up quite a bit. Sasuke overcame his fears and never left for Sound. He never received the cursed seal. Naruto left on his journey with Jiraiya so he could prepare for the Akatsuki. Sasuke left with Kakashi to refine his skills and prepare for the fight against his brother._

_In the meantime, Sakura has been left alone with Tsunade to study and become a great medical nin like her shishou. Though she has not surpassed her in skill, Tsunade has taught her everything she knows. Currently Sakura works along Shizune as a codirector in the hospital._

_Kakashi and Jiraiya's paths have crossed and both Sasuke and Naruto have been working together to find information on Itachi and the Akatsuki. They are on their way back to Konoha to collect the team mate they left behind and finally achieve the peace of mind all three of them require to move on in life._

_On their way home something... odd happens in Konoha. A large electric beacon of energy the color of black and blue sudden manifests itself in the Valley of End. Tsunade has sent Shikamaru and Temari to scout it out to determine what exactly it is. The question remains... what will this oddity mean for our three heroes? And what does it have to with the changes of time?_


End file.
